Putin supports Olympic return for wrestling
Source: Agencies |
May 31, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
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RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin backed a return to the Olympics for wrestling yesterday, saying it was one of the fundamental sports of the Games.
Wrestling was controversially taken off the 2020 Olympics program in February by the International Olympic Committee but was thrown a lifeline on Wednesday, making a shortlist along with squash and baseball/softball for one spot at the 2020 Games.
"I know that the final decision will be made later. But now we have decided on the three sports, there is also wrestling, a favorite in 209 countries around the world," Putin said during a meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge in St Petersburg.
"Hopefully, the decision will ultimately be fair, reasonable and will serve to strengthen and develop the Olympic movement, which was based always on ancient tradition, and wrestling as we know, is one of the fundamental sports, traditional for the Olympic Games," the Russian president said.
Russia is one of the sport's powerhouses and wrestling has been part of all modern Games since 1896, apart from 1900. Russia and the Soviet Union have 77 Olympic gold medals in wrestling.
In a demonstration of the sport's importance to Russia, the international wrestling federation held a special congress in Moscow this month to announce rule changes aimed at making the sport more attractive.
The IOC will elect the new sport at its session in September in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul are bidding to stage the 2020 Olympics
Of eight sports competing for a place on the 2020 program, five were eliminated from the race - karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and the Chinese martial art of wushu.
Putin had earlier attended a sports conference, touring the stands with Rogge and getting a glimpse of the Sochi 2014 winter Games medals, unveiled earlier in the day.
The Russian president had also helped his country land its first ever winter Olympics, appearing and speaking in English at Sochi's final presentation at the IOC session in Guatemala in 2007.
Wrestling was controversially taken off the 2020 Olympics program in February by the International Olympic Committee but was thrown a lifeline on Wednesday, making a shortlist along with squash and baseball/softball for one spot at the 2020 Games.
"I know that the final decision will be made later. But now we have decided on the three sports, there is also wrestling, a favorite in 209 countries around the world," Putin said during a meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge in St Petersburg.
"Hopefully, the decision will ultimately be fair, reasonable and will serve to strengthen and develop the Olympic movement, which was based always on ancient tradition, and wrestling as we know, is one of the fundamental sports, traditional for the Olympic Games," the Russian president said.
Russia is one of the sport's powerhouses and wrestling has been part of all modern Games since 1896, apart from 1900. Russia and the Soviet Union have 77 Olympic gold medals in wrestling.
In a demonstration of the sport's importance to Russia, the international wrestling federation held a special congress in Moscow this month to announce rule changes aimed at making the sport more attractive.
The IOC will elect the new sport at its session in September in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul are bidding to stage the 2020 Olympics
Of eight sports competing for a place on the 2020 program, five were eliminated from the race - karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and the Chinese martial art of wushu.
Putin had earlier attended a sports conference, touring the stands with Rogge and getting a glimpse of the Sochi 2014 winter Games medals, unveiled earlier in the day.
The Russian president had also helped his country land its first ever winter Olympics, appearing and speaking in English at Sochi's final presentation at the IOC session in Guatemala in 2007.
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