GREECE: Greece's wrestling federation, who campaigned to keep wrestling - one of the sports of antiquity - in the olympics, welcomes the decision by the International Olympic Committee to return the sport to the games

Record ID: 714295

  • Title: GREECE: Greece's wrestling federation, who campaigned to keep wrestling - one of the sports of antiquity - in the olympics, welcomes the decision by the International Olympic Committee to return the sport to the games
  • Date: 9th September 2013
  • Summary: ANCIENT OLYMPIA, GREECE (FILE) (REUTERS) RUINS OF THE PALAISTRA - THE ANCIENT WRESTLING GYMNASIUM - IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA RUINS OF THE PALAISTRA IN ANCIENT OLYMPIA RUINS NEMEA, GREECE (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) PERFORMERS DRESSED AS WRESTLERS WALKING ON COMPETITION GROUND DURING A RE-ENACTMENT OF THE ANCIENT NEMEAN GAMES TO COMMEMORATE THOSE GAMES PERFORMER DRESSE
  • Embargoed: 24th September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAATH5R3S2AYVIH369WDW8CFCQX
  • Story Text: The Greek Wrestling Federation on Monday (September 9) said the decision to keep wrestling in the Olympic games was a victory not only for the sport but for the history of the Olympic Games.
    The President of the Greek Wrestling Federation Constantine Thanos said it also opened a discussion on whether the moral lessons of the games - such as team spirit, peace and unity - should be more important than commercial profit or viewership numbers.

    "The victory for wrestling in Buenos Aires is a victory for the history of the Olympic games and I believe it is a victory for the ideological importance of the games as opposed to the importance of commercialisation and viewership," said Thanos.
    Greece organised numerous petitions with other federations as part of a campaign to keep wrestling in the games, as well as a unique international wrestling tournament in Ancient Olympia, home of the first ancient event, in July, on the exact site where wrestling competitions took place for the ancient Olympics. Thanos believes this may have helped to influence the decision.

    "It seems it may have influenced their vote from the first round," he said. But Thanos also aware that wrestling federations must look to the future. They gave wrestling a chance to stay in the Olympic programme, but also reminded us all of the responsibility we have to make whatever changes are needed in our sport so that we never find ourselves in this position."
    Wrestling reclaimed its spot in the 2020 Olympic Games on Sunday after beating bids from rivals squash and baseball/softball in an International Olympic Committee vote. An iconic Olympic sport, wrestling featured heavily in the ancient Olympics as well as every modern Games apart from 1900. Yet it surprisingly lost its Olympic spot in February as the IOC looked to refresh its programme.
    The IOC had said at the time, wrestling had failed to modernise, becoming complacent over decades amid waning interest.
    Wrestling, which had received glowing support from IOC members, who were stunned by the Executive Board's decision, won an outright majority of votes in the first round.
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