The International Olympic Committee’s executive board made its decision to drop wrestling from the 2020 Games after assessing the performance of all 26 sports at the London Games. There is a slim chance wrestling may be reinstated when the IOC meets in Buenos Aires in September to ratify its choice.
Modern pentathlon and taekwondo were thought to be the sports most at risk when the IOC committee met in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday, but wrestling was the surprise choice for the axe.
Wrestling will now compete with baseball/softball, squash, karate, sport climbing, wakeboarding, wushu and roller sports for a place in the 2020 Games.