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EXECUTIVE NOTES By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director


Phase II of Keep Olympic Wrestling effort focused on winning the vote in September The sport of wrestling received good news on May 29 when


the International Olympic Committee Executive Board voted that wrestling would be one of the three finalist sports to advance to the short list of sports under consideration for the final provision- al sport spot in the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. The other sports on the short list are squash and the combined baseball/softball bid. I was blessed to be there in St. Petersburg, Russia, when our international wrestling federation FILA made its presentation to the IOC Executive Board about why wrestling should be in the Olympic Games of the future. Wrestling had an all-star group making that presentation, all who performed well under tremen- dous pressure. FILA President Nenad Lalovic, along with Jim Scherr, Daniel Igali, Lise Legrande and Carol Huynh were well prepared. It was very exciting when it was announced that wrestling would be forwarded to the IOC General Assembly for the final vote in Buenos Aires, Argentina in early September. May was World Wrestling Month, and USA Wrestling was very


active. We hosted four official World Wrestling Month events, the Curby Cup in Chicago, the Rumble on the Rails in New York, United 4 Wrestling in Los Angeles and the Junior Greco- Roman World Duals near San Francisco. Our U.S. women’s team went up to Canada for the Battle at the Falls in Niagara Falls. These events helped tell the story of wrestling and were certainly a factor in the decision made in our favor. Wrestling stood up and responded. Our sport is in the midst


of a true renaissance. I am confident we will look back and see these days as a pivotal time when Man’s Oldest and Greatest Sport positively responded to its most historic challenge. FILA and the international wrestling community made very


important changes in its rules, procedures and governance prior to the vote in May. USA Wrestling was the leader among the international wrestling federations supporting FILA’s effort, led by the tremendous work of the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW), chaired by Bill Scherr. CPOW is


an amazing group of talented and motivat- ed leaders. While wrestling should feel good about


our success in May, the task is nowhere near completed. Wrestling will face very serious competition from squash and baseball/softball, sports which have worked hard for years on their bid to be in the Olympic Games. Wrestling’s success will depend on active participation from the entire world. We are now in Phase II of the international Keep Olympic


Wrestling effort, and there will be some changes and new direc- tion in the strategy going forward. The sport of wrestling has a tremendous team of talented professionals working on the exe- cution of its game plan in Phase II, and USA Wrestling has great confidence that we can continue to succeed. A key focus of Phase II will be securing the votes needed in Buenos Aires for wrestling to be selected as the provisional sport. There will be direct contact with every IOC member, as wrestling makes sure that each voter understands wrestling’s case for inclusion in the Games. This is job one. One of the big activities in Phase II will be to make sure wrestling is covered in the media, and that the public remains engaged in this issue. CPOW made an investment in promoting and televising the World Team Trials, and will also be active at the ASICS/Junior & Cadet Nationals in Fargo. The USA will also support FILA’s promotion of a July interna-


tional event held at the historic locations in ancient Olympia, Greece, where the Olympic movement began. As we cross the finish line strong, the leaders of CPOW are working hard to plan on the legacy of the Keep Olympic Wrestling movement after vote in September. The momentum that the sport has worked so hard to create


must continue as we improve and grow wrestling for future gen- erations. I thank the entire U.S. wrestling community for its hard work


and support so far, and ask you to remain actively involved. You truly can make a difference as we Save Olympic Wrestling.


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