The sport of wrestling is one of three sports selected as finalists for inclusion in the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Iowa is home to some of the most devoted wrestling fans in the world and many were stunned in February when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that wrestling be removed as a core sport for the 2020 Olympic Games.
The IOC Executive Board voted Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russia to include wrestling, squash and baseball/softball on the short list for inclusion in 2020. A final vote by the entire IOC General Assembly is scheduled from September 7 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Only one of the sports will be included in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. Wrestling has been a part of the Olympic Games since its inception in the 7th century B.C.
The sport was also part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896.