ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ― IOC president Jacques Rogge defended the process that led to the removal of wrestling from the Olympic program and the sport’s quick return as a candidate for inclusion in the 2020 Games.
“I don’t see any shortcoming in the system,” Rogge said Friday. “I don’t see an error in the system.”
Wrestling was eliminated from the list of core sports by the IOC in February but, after revamping its structure and adopting new rules, was selected Wednesday as a possible additional sport on the 2020 program.
Wrestling made a shortlist along with baseball-softball and squash for a single opening in 2020. The IOC will vote in September on which sport to include. If wrestling wins, it means no new sport will be brought in as originally planned.
“You don’t go for a new one for the sake of a new one,” Rogge said. “Novelty is not the issue, quality is the issue. ... The purpose is to have the best possible Olympic program.”
On other issues, Rogge said the six candidates in the race to succeed him as president in September will present their manifestos directly to IOC members in July, and he dropped his proposal for the next president to be paid after the contenders said they did not want to receive a salary.
