Sad

I pretty much stopped watching the Olympics once professionals became the norm rather than amateurs. Now I understand that the International Olympic Committee has decided to jettison wrestling, one of the sports with the greatest history, and dating back to the eighth century BCE in the ancient Greek Olympic games. Furthermore, they're undercutting a sport which has as the Summer Olympics as it's main, crowning event, potentially affecting funding and the very existence of the sport. Pity that they seem to be more concerned with money and politics than with maintaining a sense of history.

Olympics Moves to Drop Wrestling in 2020

“I don’t think anybody thought this would happen,” said Rulon Gardner, who won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Games and a bronze at the 2004 Athens Games. “It’s a shame. This is one of the original sports. It’s been around for thousands of years. The Olympic movement has gone astray. It’s moving in the direction not of history but of ratings. Is it about mainstream and money, or is it about amateur sports competing at the highest level on the world stage?”