**RANT** IOC to Cut Wrestling after Rio 2016?

Some sad news, but not official as of yet: IOC considering to drop wrestling from 2020.

Pending vote in September, the International Olympic Committee is thinking about dropping wrestling from the summer games beginning in 2020. This, along with dropping baseball and softball after Beijing 2008, is one of the most asinine decisions the IOC has ever done.

I'll give you some reasoning for this: Jock Strap Rogge and his cronies only want to drop sports that has lack of representation from western European countries (France, Spain, Germany, UK, Italy, Switzerland, Scandinavian states, etc.). Hence why baseball and softball was dropped after Beijing 2008. Wrestling is mostly dominiated by the following areas of the world: United States, Caribbean (preferably Cuba); former Soviet states (mostly Russia and Kazakhstan); Eastern Europe (mostly Bulgaria); southwest Asia and northern Africa. The sport's governing body-FILA-has more than 180 members, mostly second and third world countries. To some countries, sending a wrestler is their summer Olympics.

It is also a fact that when Baron de Coubertin brought back the Olympics in 1896, wrestling was on the menu. Wrestling is the original gymnastics, whereas artistic gymnastics is derived from wrestling, back in ancient times.

The United States alone has boasted numerous gold medalists in various weight classes of wrestling, from the likes of Dan Gable and Tom Brands to Kurt Angle, Rulon Gardner, Cael Sanderson, Henry Cejudo and most recently Jake Varner and Jordan Burroughs at London 2012. USA Wrestling is one of the most successful programs in Olympic wrestling with at least one gold medalist in just about every summer Olympics.

Wrestling in the Olympics brought us great athletes including the legendary Alex Karelin and Artur Taymazov, both three time gold medalists.

There is no way, the oldest, most purest sport in the world should disappear from the summer games menu in 2020. Neither should taekwondo, judo and boxing. The IOC needs combat sports to survive as an organization. It also needs such team sports as basketball, football (soccer), water polo, handball and (field) hockey as well. Not to mention the essential sports such as (artistic) gymnastics, swimming and athletics (track and field).

With that in mind, the sport that should go from the Olympic menu in 2020: rhythmic gymnastics. Useless sport. And synchronised swimming.

So keep the fight and let Jock Strap and his cronies know what us wrestling fans want. Several facebook pages are there to like, including "Keep Wrestling in the Olympics" and "Save Olympic Wrestling." Also '#SaveOlympicWrestling' on twitter as well.

Wrestling fans, fight the fight! We need you to keep the fight to save wrestling in the Olympics. The MMA community must join as well!

Also e-mail FILA and voice your opinion as well!