Save Olympic Wrestling Coalition
A Save Olympic Wrestling Coalition is being formed among nations. A growing group of international wrestling federations is forming a partnership for unified effort to show that wrestling belongs on Olympic program
The Save Olympic Wrestling Coalition has been formed by a number of international wrestling federations to show wrestling should remain on the Olympic program.
This is a unique partnership that will send a powerful message to the International Olympic Committee about the importance and relevance of wrestling to the Olympic Games. The coalition will initially be comprised of strategically identified federations to show that regardless of geographic or political differences, they are unified in a commitment to this effort.
Goals of the coalition include:
- Support the political campaign of FILA, the international governing body of wrestling
- Mobilize energy and resources in each country
- Promote Olympic wrestling through World Wrestling Month in May
- Support Acting FILA President Nenad Lalovic and his administration
- Assist with the continued development of Olympic wrestling
The following countries have committed their support to this effort:
Albania, Argentina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, United States, Uzbekistan
Each of those countries will sign a resolution which states their cause and publicizes the key initiatives.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland is joining the Coalition.
The nations in the coalition will also participate in promoting World Wrestling Month in May, which was developed by FILA to showcase international wrestling’s impact all around the world.
In addition, many other countries have expressed an interest in joining this coalition. Followup announcements will be made with new coalition members as they are added.
Further Save Olympic Wrestling News
It was announced on 17th April that FILA has appointed TSE Consulting, the international management consulting firm specialised in sport, to develop a strategic plan for the sport of wrestling worldwide. Their initial agreement covers a period of 12-months starting in April 2013.
There is widespread discussion throughout the wrestling community suggesting various changes be made to FILA and the sport itself.
FILA believes that putting a strategic plan in place will ensure that the leadership remains focused and that a common framework is created within which the sport, represented by the national governing bodies around the world, can work together towards common goals for the future.
TSE has vast experience working with international federations on their strategic planning. For example, they lead the development and implementation for both the IAAF Athletics World Plan and the World Archery Plan, among many other organisations at both the international and national level.
Acting President of FILA, Mr. Nenad Lalovic, commented: “We need to renew our organisation and our sport to ensure a stronger future. A long term strategic plan is exactly what we need right now to deal with the challenges that we are faced with. TSE Consulting was recommended to us from a variety of sources and their extensive experience working with other international sports organisations speaks for itself. It is good for our sport to be working with such professionals and I believe that the future for wrestling will benefit tremendously.”
Mr. Lars Haue-Pedersen, TSE Managing Director, commented: “The development of a new strategic plan for not only FILA, but for the sport worldwide, is a fantastic opportunity. It will modernize the sport and ensure it remains relevant for a broad audience and the various worldwide stakeholders in the coming years. Strategic planning is often difficult for a sports organisation as it requires a lot of dedication and commitment to change. Wrestling is ready for this challenge and we look forward to working with them.”
Thanks to the FILA website for these stories
