Wrestling’s governing body has downplayed a warning from the IOC for a “minor infringement” of the rules in the bidding race for a spot in the 2020 Olympics.
FIlA president Nenad lalovic said the case involves letters sent by the Japanese wrestling federation to promote the sport to some IOC members. IOC rules prohibit the sports from sending such material in the three weeks before Sunday’s vote.
lalovic said the “issue is closed” and he’s “absolutely sure that this letter didn’t hurt” thesport’s bid to return to the Olympic lineup.
He said he reported the infringement himself to the IOC once he learned of the Japanese letters.
“I immediately called the wrestling federation. They told me what they did and a minute later I was sending a letter to the IOC,” he said at a news conference in Buenos Aires later on Friday. “They understood their mistake. The issue is closed. Everything is explained.”
Wrestling, which was cut from the list of core sports in February, is competing against squash and a combined baseball-softball bid to be included in 2020, with wrestling widely expected to regain its Olympic status.
The IOC said in a letter on Tuesday to the two other sports that an official warning was sent to FIlA on Aug. 20 and “the matter is now considered as closed.” “This was a minor infringement of the rules and was dealt with immediately, no further action was necessary,” the IOC said in a separate statement.
Vote was shock therapy
Nenad lalovic remembers the phone call from a friend seven months ago: Wrestling was being dropped from the Olympics.
“I said, ‘What are you talking aboutIJ’” lalovic recalled. “I thought it was a joke.”
It wasn’t. The IOC executive board in February recommended removing wrestling from the 2020 Olympics, a hammer blow that the sport’s leaders never saw coming.
Now, lalovic is in Buenos Aires as president of a new-look FIlA, wrestling’s governing body, and leading its final push to save its Olympic status, culminating a frantic six-month campaign that has reshaped the sport.
“That was the best shock therapy,” lalovic said. “When you fall into such a crisis, you either die or you recover. We recovered.”
The International Olympic Committee will vote on Sunday on including one additional sport to the program of the 2020 and 2024 Games. Wrestling is up against squash and a combined baseball-softball bid.
Barring a major surprise, wrestling looks set to keep its Olympic place.
“What I hear makes me optimistic,” lalovic said, “but a vote is a vote and we have to wait.”