It has been voted on and wrestling will be added back to the Olympic games in 2020 and 2024. It seems as though the pussification of the public and the idiotic decision that was made to remove the oldest sport known to man was reversed. This does not mean that wrestling is in the core 25 sports of the Olympics games but for the time being a small battle has been won. Wrestling is probably the first combative sport to ever have been developed and was central to the origins of the first Olympic events. It is arguably the most central grappling art, which some believe almost all other grappling arts have been derived from. It deeply depressed me that anyone would ever even entertain the thought of removing this sport from what is supposed to be the top tier of events for amateur wrestlers. The effects of no longer having wrestling in the Olympics reaches far beyond just the Olympic mats, it could very well have an effect on many other sports and influence what career paths many wrestlers could possibly take after finishing their high school and collegiate careers.
The implications of removing wrestling from the Olympics spreads over many different areas in the martial arts world because it is pretty much common knowledge that wrestling is central to Mixed Martial Arts and other combative disciplines. Most wrestlers have a distinct advantage because they develop many attributes that serve very well in combative arts. Coordination, flexibility, strength, explosiveness as well as knowledge of managing their weight and weight cutting all are important aspects of combative disciplines. All of these attributes overlap and carry over into sports such as Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Submission Grappling and even into striking arts such as Boxing and Muay Thai. Many of MMA's top athletes have backgrounds in amateur wrestling. The decision to remove wrestling from the Olympics completely voids any possibility of continuing amateur wrestling after college and high school and may destroy the incentive for some wrestlers to begin wrestling at all. Some also argue this decision was made because of a general softening of the general public which now seems comfortable watching mundane sports that require very little athletic ability. These sports are deemed entertaining by those who advertise during the Olympics and care solely about their own marketing strategy and making the Olympic games profitable. The Olympics have become more of an investment for these companies and they do not care whether or not they effect the general public by pushing sports on the general public that do not require the extremely demanding physical and mental requirements to excel in a sport such as wrestling. I fear that young men of all ages will grow up and not get the chance to experience the physical improvements and benefits combative sports such as wrestling have to offer. I know from my own personal experience with Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai I have learned to deal with mental and physical stress as well as pure pain. These are things I believe provide valuable experience in learning your own thresholds and what you are capable of enduring. It is because of this I have learned that only hard world and discipline are keys to becoming a successful person in every facet of life.
I am glad that wrestling has been brought back, even if it is just for now. I do however have confidence that the rest of the world and all the wrestlers in it will do everything they can to make sure that wrestling is brought back to it's permanent place in the Olympics. I feel confident that the voices of wrestlers, coaches and fans all over the world will continue to voice their opinion and will not allow for this great and ancient sport to die out because of politics and idiotic decision making by the International Olympic Committee. If we don't do something about it now we can expect to see the disappearance of all combat sports in the Olympics, which after all is where the Olympics began.
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