Jacques Rogge to meet with wrestling leader to discuss Olympics
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, under fire after the IOC’s decision to drop wrestling from the Olympics on Tuesday, says he will meet with the head of wrestling’s governing body to discuss ways the sport can fight to return to the Games.
Rogge says he has talked to Raphael Martinetti, the president of international wrestling federation FILA, and they agreed they “would meet at the first opportunity to have discussions.”
Rogge says he was encouraged FILA had “vowed to adapt the sport and vowed to fight” the decision.
Also, the Russian Olympic Committee says it plans to appeal to the IOC to restore wrestling to the games.
Wrestling has been one of Russia’s strongest sports: Soviet and Russian wrestlers have won 77 gold medals.
Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov says “we will use all of our strength to persuade the IOC not to exclude wrestling from the Olympic program.”
ALSO:
IOC votes to drop wrestling from the Summer Games
World of wrestling reacts to IOC’s decision to drop sport
Former IOC president’s son is modern pentathlon vice president
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