The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced its 25 “core sports” for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Notably absent from the list was wrestling – a sport that has been part of the olympic games since the very first olympics in 1896.
That doesn’t mean that wrestling won’t be an event at the Olympics, however. The sport will now have to compete with other “shortlisted” sports for inclusion in the 2020 games. Baseball/softball, karate, roller sports (inline skating), sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding, and wushu are other shortlisted sports that will make presentations to the IOC executive board at a meeting in St. Petersburg in May. Following that meeting the executive board will choose which of the shortlisted sports to include in the 2020 games.
From an IOC statement:
In an effort to ensure the Olympic Games remain relevant to sports fans of all generations, the Olympic Programme Commission systematically reviews every sport following each edition of the Games.
The 25 core sports that will definitely be included in the 2020 games are athletics, rowing, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics, weightlifting, handball, hockey, judo, swimming, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting, archery, triathlon, sailing and volleyball.
The location for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games will be chosen in September 2013 at the 125th IOC Session. The candidate cities are Istanbul, Tokyo, and Madrid.