Stunned; stunned, flabbergasted, and fit to be tied -- this was my reaction to the International Olympic Committee's recent decision to drop wrestling as an Olympic sport. Wrestling; not ping-pong, synchronized ribbon-twirling, or badminton, WRESTLING. The decision, made by secret ballot of the I.O.C.'s 15-member "executive board" (in the gladiator capital of Lausanne, Switzerland), lumps wrestling in (if you aren't already, please sit) with: rollerblading, sport-climbing, squash, wakeboarding, and washu (don't ask), as sports falling shy of Olympic standards. Interesting, because I don't recall rollerblading's mention at the ancient Greek games (708 B.C.), and last I checked, wakeboarding was 180 sanctioning bodies shy of wrestling's importance in the global community. Of course, why embrace facts -- and the raw purity of sport -- when "telegenic digestibility" is the prevailing standard? According to I.O.C. spokesman, Mark Abrams: "The vote is part of the process of renewing and renovating the program of the Olympics. We want to ensure that the Games remain relevant to sports fans of all generations." So, wrestling isn't....
(Read Full Article)
Print
COMMENTS ON AMERICANTHINKER