Wrestling (in various different styles) is a sport which has a very rich tradition. It's origins can be traced back 15,000 years and it was very popular in highly developed cultures like the Ancient Rome or Ancient Greece. AND it was an important part of ancient Olympic games.
A few days ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the decision to drop wrestling from Olympic Summer Games. This essentially means that beginning with the 2020 Games, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling won't be part of competition. This end the Olympic career of this highly traditional sport - a career which has started with the first modern Olympics in 1896.
Concerning the line of reasoning, the IOC mostly names problems with selling the sport to the public and the media to be the primary causes for the discontinuation. They argue that the "declining popularity" justified the move, which was soon heavily criticized. IOC and leading members from the international wrestling federation (FILA) are set to meet, but I do not see much hope that one of the oldest Olympic sports might ultimately be saved.
In 2016 golf will be introduced as a new sport in the Olympic program. Although golf has been part of the Olympics in 1900 and 1904, it has arguably a very short tradition compared to wrestling. But there is one important difference: Golf draws huge crowds - live on the grounds as well as on TV - and it will yield much greater returns to the IOC than wrestling. The discussion is already on which sport should replace wrestling in 2020 and beyond. Some argue that softball and baseball should come back. I am cautious, because baseball makes no sense if MLB players do not compete. It would be another "lame duck" like Olympic Soccer.
In the case of wrestling, the IOC has chosen money and revenues ahead of tradition. My guess is that this is completely at odds with the original idea of the modern Olympics.
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