Sen. Brown Applauds International Olympic Committee Decision to Keep Wrestling in Summer Games

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to keep wrestling as one of its 28 sports in the summer games. In March, the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation, introduced by Brown, urging the IOC to reverse its preliminary recommendation to eliminate wrestling from the Olympic Games beginning in 2020.

"Today's decision by the International Olympic Committee is excellent news for Ohio's wrestlers and fans of the sport," Brown said. "This victory would not be possible without their efforts which exemplified wrestling's true lesson: that discipline, strength, and a fierce competitiveness apply as much in life as it does athletics."

In February, the IOC Executive Board announced that it would recommend eliminating the sport. One month later, Brown led the effort on the bipartisan resolution which passed the Senate. That same month, Brown joined former Olympians and future Olympic hopefuls in urging the IOC to keep wrestling in the Olympics. At the Ohio Regional Training Center (RTC), Brown joined J.D. Bergman, a former Ohio State University (OSU) wrestler who is training for the 2016 Olympic Games, and Lou Rosselli, a former Olympian, RTC head coach, and assistant OSU men's wrestling coach.

Brown's resolution was cosponsored by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Al Franken (D-MN), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), James Inhofe (R-OK), Carl Levin (D-MI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Roy Blunt (R-MO). Fellow Ohioan, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04), also introduced a companion resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Wrestling is one of the original sports in the ancient Olympic Games in Greece and was also included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The U.S. Olympic wrestling teams--including freestyle and Greco-Roman--are our nation's third-most successful Summer Games sport, amassing more than 120 medals.

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