James V. Moffatt - Saving Wrestling: The Inside Story of the Sports Epic Fight to Stay in the Olympics

At the first modern Olympics, held in Athens in 1896, heavyweight wrestler Carl Schuhmann (left) of Germany defeated Greeces Giorgios Tsitas to take the gold medal. A proud and honorable tradition had begun

JAMIE MOFFATT has written four other books: A Turning Point (with Roger Olesen); Wrestlers at the Trials; Strobel: Stories From A Life With Wrestling; and Adam Frey: A Collection of Blogs and Stories.

The Amateur Wrestling News selected Jamie as the 2010 Bob Dellinger Award winner, naming him The National Wrestling Writer of the Year.

He is a graduate of Cornell University and is currently the Chairman of the EIWA Hall of Fame Committee. Jamie retired after a long professional career as a Management Consulting Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2000 and resides with his wife Betty in Cape May, NJ.

CRAIG SESKER has been the Communications Manager for USA Wrestling since 2006 and is the editor of USA Wrestlings member magazine, USA Wrestler, which has a circulation of more than 150,000. Sesker is a two-time National Wrestling Writer of the Year and won four National Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards during his career as a sportswriter.

This is Seskers third book. Hes the author of Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend; and Driven to Excellence.

Sesker resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SAVING WRESTLING: The Inside Story of the Sports Epic Fight to Stay in the Olympics

Copyright 2013 By James V. Moffatt and Craig Sesker

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Published by Exit Zero Publishing

www.exitzero.us

Book and cover design by Jack Wright

Cover photo credits: Jordan Burroughs and Billy Baldwin by Tony Rotundo/WrestlersAreWarriors

Helen Maroulis by John Sachs

Nenad Lalovic by AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

First edition: October 2013

ISBN 978-0-9860523-1-6

I find it sadly ironic that the announcement that the IOC has recommended dropping wrestling as an Olympic sport occurred on the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, one of the 13 U.S. Presidents who wrestled. Sandy Stevens, The Voice of Wrestling

D AN GABLE said he experienced an assortment of emotions when he first heard the news about the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Boards recommendation to eliminate wrestling as a core Olympic sport. In Iowa City, Gable was lying in bed at 6 oclock that February morning when he received word of the IOC decision. His wife, Kathy, was up early and on her computer. She walked into the bedroom and said, Im not sure if its true, but I think they took wrestling out of the Olympics.

Its probably nothing, Gable responded, just a crazy blog. Dont worry.

Seconds later, Gable was worried. He jumped out of bed and went to check for himself. He scanned the major wrestling websites. It was true.

Then Gable, one of the toughest men to ever step on a wrestling mat, broke down and started crying at his keyboard. I was really emotional and upset, but I wasnt really mad, he said. I was more hurt in the beginning than anything.

Once the shock of the initial decision started to wear off and there was a realization that wrestling could remain part of the Olympic program, Gable was ready to jump in and do what he does best. Win the fight. Preserve the status of the sport that was prominent in the Olympic program as far back as 708 B.C.

Rich Bender awoke early on the morning of February 12, just after 5am, to prepare for his work day as the Executive Director at USA Wrestling. He was about to head into the bathroom in his Colorado Springs home to take a shower when his wife approached.

Dan Gable broke down when he first heard of the IOC recommendation. Larry Slater

You need to get your phone, Michelle Bender said, her eyes widening. Its blowing up right now.

Benders cellular phone had been ringing and buzzing with a flood of calls, emails and text messages from people around the country. And from around the world. He immediately sensed something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

At the exact moment he scooped up his iPhone, a text message flashed across the screen. It was a message sent by Gable from his home.

Worst possible decision, Gables message read.

Bender was fully aware that the IOC Executive Board was voting in Switzerland that day to recommend that one core sport be removed from the Olympic Games program for 2020 so that a new sport could be added.

The evening before, I had a conversation with the United States Olympic Committee about the process and the vote, Bender said. I was given some pretty high-level assurance that wrestling wasnt going to be part of the discussion. I was told it was going to be modern pentathlon or taekwondo or field hockey. I went to bed that night not expecting to hear anything negative the next morning.

But that changed when he saw Gables text message. Bender immediately sat down at his computer and quickly confirmed the unthinkable had happened.

I obviously was surprised it was absolutely stunning, Bender said. I was so upset that I wanted to punch somebody in the mouth. My initial reaction was incredible pain, understanding what the sport means to the Olympics and to our organization. The Olympic designation provides a great deal of credibility to our sport in our country and around the world. I started getting really angry with our international federation [FILA] and individuals within that federation. I got really upset initially and then I quickly realized that doesnt do any good. I knew I had to put those feelings aside and focus on what I could do personally and what our country could do to keep our sport in the Olympics.

Like Gable and Bender, many people in the U.S. woke up to the shocking news before they even ate breakfast that day. Sandy Stevens, wrestlings iconic public address announcer who called matches during the 1984 and 1996 Games, remembered, I was at home last February 12, listening to Chicagos new station, WBBM, when they announced the IOCs decision. I know I said an out-loud, What?! Im thinking I couldnt have heard this right.

Immediately I checked themat.com and Facebook and found dozens of others, both in and out of our sport, expressing the same dismay, disbelief and shock that I felt. Also, non-wrestling friends soon began calling or emailing me; even they were stunned and offended by the decision. The immediate calls to action by those who love our sport gave (and give) me hope. But how horribly sad that politics, money and inept FILA leadership brought us to this point.

The IOC recommendation had been made in Europe, where it was already around lunchtime.