In February of 2013 the International Olympic Committee or better known as the IOC, ruled the sport of wrestling out, of the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo Japan (Olympic.org). Wrestling was chosen to remain in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Brazil; however, after considering the options of which sport would be removed in the 2020 Olympics,wrestling was the odd sport out. (MacFarquhar par. 4)“We now have come face to face with our biggest challenge, one that will determine the future of our sport,'' said Nenad Lalovic, the acting president of FILA,(International Wrestling Federation) ''We love our sport, and we are united to save it.''(MacFarquhar par.5) Wrestling has always been a part of the Olympics, and it should stay that way.
In discussion of the sport of wrestling, the controversial issue has been removing wrestling from the Olympic games. On the one hand,Mark Adams, chief spokesman for the IOC said, "The idea overall is to renew the program and to keep it relevant and appealing to new audiences." (Futterman Par.16) On the other hand, FILA said it, "was greatly astonished by today's recommendation of the IOC Executive Board not to maintain wrestling among the 25 core sports for the 2020 Olympic Games. FILA will take all necessary measures to convince the IOC Executive Board and IOC members of the aberration of such decision against one of the founding sports of the ancient and modern Olympic Games." (Futterman Par.9)

Wrestling is old, very old according to the King James version of the Holy Bible, a man named “Jacob, wrestled all night with a messenger from God.” (Genesis. 32.30). Wrestling is the oldest sport on record, according to a document found in the 1800’s by students at Oxford University in England. (Jackson 178) The document was of papyrus and dated between 100 and 200 A.D. It gives a list of instructions on how to wrestle. (Jackson 179) When the olympic Games started in 700 B.C (Linde 1), wrestling was already ancient. Being that the sport is so old, taking it from the Olympic games would be like killing off an animal to extinction, except that it’s a sport that millions around the world take part in.
A related topic is that of Title IX, a US federal law enacted in 1972, to create equality between men’s and women’s athletics in college. (Hardin Par.2) One stipulation denoting equality meant each school must have an equal amount of sports for men and women; in regards to wrestling this meant trouble. This trouble, “can clearly be seen through the hysteria over cuts to men’s minor collegiate sports in the U.S. The most vocal outcries have come from advocates for wrestling. ”Throughout the 1980s everything from lack of heroes, not enough media savvy, too much emphasis on aggression, and too slow of action were discussed as possible reasons for wrestling’s decline. (Walton 371)

Wrestling took a hit in the state of Utah leaving only one University with a Division 1 wrestling program: Utah Valley. Those who dropped wrestling were BYU, The University of Utah, Weber State University, Utah
State, and Southern Utah, all of which had sanctioned wrestling teams before title IX was enacted. (Renzhofer Par.37) In hopes of preserving the sport, three wrestling teams from three different nations, Russia, America, and Iran, got