At 4:45p.m. (UK time) today, Sunday 8th September 2013,  the 125th IOC Session will take an historic vote.
Which sport, between Wrestling, Squash and Baseball-Softball, will be granted a place on the Olympic programme in Tokyo 2020 and also in 2024.

105 IOC members will vote in a secret ballot in Buenos Aries, Argentina.

Back in Britain, the day kicked off with British Wrestling’s Chief Executive, Colin Nicholson making appearances on BBC 1’s Breakfast Television show with Roger Johnson and Sian Lloyd at 6:40 and 8:40 and also on Radio 5-Live Breakfast with Tony Livesey and Sam Walker at 8:15.  Colin appeared alongside representatives from Squash (Adrian Grant, World Team Gold 2013, Commonwealth Gold 2010) and Baseball-Softball (William Lintern, UK National Development Manager).

Key to Wrestling’s case are many recent significant changes that the International Federation (FILA) has made to propel the sport into the 21st century.
The changes take Wrestling modernisation beyond that of some other sports.

It is just six months since the “wake-up call” given by the IOC’s Executive Board last February when Wrestling learnt of a shock recommendation to remove Wrestling from the Olympic programme.
Wrestling has been in every Olympic Games with the exception of 1900, and was one of the founding sports along with athletics.  Records of competitions date back more than 2,500 years ago to 776B.C.

The key changes are: –

• The same number of weight classes for both men an and women
• New competition rules that make the sport more attractive to athletes, audiences and broadcasters
• A clearer scoring system
• Penalties for prolonged periods of passivity
• An improved governance structure at the International Federation
• Positions ring-fenced on the Executive Board (FILA Bureau) of the International Federation for three female representatives and three athlete representatives
• New sub-committees under the board, including a Women’s Commission
• There will be no Board members on the Referees’ Commission which will be independent and transparent
• A new Athletes Commission
• A mandatory female vice-president position on the Executive Board (one of four vice-presidents)

Wrestling has strong hopes that it will be on Tokyo’s 2020 Programme.  It would be fitting – as Japan won three out of the four Gold medals available at London 2012 (link to Wikipedia).

• British Wrestling Save Olympic Wrestling Pages
• We Are Wrestling, the FILA brochure created for Wrestling’s presentation
• Summary of Wrestling’s changes since February 2013
• Guardian Wrestling expected to regain Olympic status for 2020
• Reuters – America Global Post Wrestling plays down reprimand – adds Hollywood glitz
• BBC – Back in the Games? How wrestling regained its Olympic appeal
• Radio 5Live Sunday Beakfast with Tony Livesey and Sam Walker (at approx 2hrs 20)