Can Wrestling grapple with the IOC?

23-year-old Narsingh Yadav went to bed after a gruelling day on the mat; the next day he woke up and found that his world had turned upside down! His dream of winning an Olympic Medal lay in tatters, thanks in no small measure to the clockwork precision with which the IOC pinned down FILA and the rest of the wrestling world, by striking out wrestling from the Olympics.

“Har koi apni zindagi mein kushti karta hai, bachpan mein aur aage bhi (Everyone wrestles in their life right from childhood to death).” - Yogeshwar Dutt.

Wrestling is one of the oldest Olympic sports and has featured in every Olympics since the advent of the Modern Games in 1896 (Athens). Wrestling has a huge following and a marquee match can bring in crowds that rival the queues at ticket counters on the first day of a superstar’s film. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams defended this decision by saying “It’s not a case of what’s wrong with wrestling; it is what’s right with the 25 core sports.” Well, my response to this would be, “Pray tell me as to what it is that sports such as trampoline, synchronized swimming, ping-pong etc. have that wrestling doesn’t have??” Why is it that wrestling takes a hit when sports such as ribbon twirling and pentathlon (which hardly bring in the crowds or raise TRP’s) are allowed to stay on? What’s to become of countries like Georgia and Turkey for whom wrestling is synonymous with the Olympics?

With the IOC neither specifying the exact reasons for alienating this legendary sport nor showing any signs of answering the above questions, the rumour mills are working overtime to ensure a steady supply of ‘what if’s’ and other conspiracy theories. There are some plausible ones which suggest that it’s not entirely the fault of Mr. Rogges and company as FILA is also guilty of not putting its house in order, and effectively dealing with corruption/doping. Moreover, it is alleged that while modern pentathlon and taekwondo did effective lobbying; wrestling thought they were safe and did none at all!

If there’s one thing that the IOC does confirm, it’s that ‘all is not lost’. A lifeline is being thrown to the Wrestling Federation – wrestling can submit a petition for being included as a ‘wildcard’ in the 2020 Olympics , but it has to vie with 7 other sports including baseball for the lone spot. One bright spot is that Greece is throwing its weight behind the call for the inclusion of wrestling as a core sport.

The drama unfolding may be as gripping as a Greek tragedy. As fans wait with bated breath, the fate of the sport hangs in the balance. All eyes are on FILA and its response. Can it grapple with IOC?