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IOC Approves Women's Wrestling

By Stephen Wilson

AP Sports Writer 9/19/ 2001

LAUSANNE, Switzerland ** The IOC gave its approval to adding women's
wrestling for the 2004 Olympics but told boxing to cut one of its weight
divisions and rejected new events in a number of other sports.
The moves Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee must still be
adopted by the sports' international federations before they are applied to
the schedule for the Athens Games.
Because the addition of women's wrestling is tied to a cut in men's
wrestling events, final approval is not a certainty.
The action reflected a drive by new IOC president Jacques Rogge to control
the size of the Olympics. Under the previous president, Juan Antonio
Samaranch, the number of sports and athletes grew steadily without any
significant cuts.
"This is the first time we don't increase the number of events on the
program," IOC sports director Gilbert Felli said. "Until now, we added an
average of 20 or more events per games since the 1950s."
The IOC plan, approved by its ruling executive board, envisions the
participation of 10,508 athletes competing in 299 events in Athens. In
Sydney last year, there were 10,655 athletes in 300 events.
"To control the size of the games, we have to control the number of events,"
Felli said. "We need to keep to a maximum of 10,500 athletes and 300events."
In the continuing effort to increase female participation in the Olympics,
the IOC gave it's approval to the addition of four women's events in
wrestling. But, in return, two men's wrestling events wouldhave to be cut.
Felli said the international wrestling federation may not agree to thereduction.
"If we are going to be tough, we will tell them, 'If you want to include
women and increase the quota, then you must also eliminate the other
events,'" he said.
Of the 28 sports on the Olympic program, boxing and baseball would be the
only ones left without women's events. However, women's softball has been
played since 1996.
The most significant cut proposed Wednesday was in boxing, with the
elimination of one weight division, a total of 26 boxers.
Felli said he believed the heaviest weight class * the super heavyweight
category * would be the one to go. Heavyweight boxers would continue to
compete, but the decision would force a reshuffling of the various weight
divisions.
In Sydney, there were 310 boxers competing in 12 divisions. In Athens, there
would be 286 fighters in 11 classes.
The IOC also introduced maximum quotas in track (2,000 athletes) and
swimming (1,300). Those two sports have often surpassed their quotas, with
2,146 track and field athletes (over the 2,000 limit) competing in Sydney
and 1,448 (over the 1,273 limit) in swimming.
Rejected were requests for new events or additional teams in swimming,
baseball and tennis.
Meanwhile, the IOC board gave formal recognition to the international
federation of tug of war. The sport was contested at six Olympics between
1900 and 1920.
The mainly symbolic recognition does not mean tug of war will become an
Olympic sport again. Tug of war is among two dozen recognized sports *
including ballroom dancing, golf, rugby, squash and water skiing * hoping
one day to get on the Olympic program.
The board rejected official recognition for body building. Two years ago,
the IOC gave the sport provisional acceptance despite body building's
reputation for steroid use.

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Olympic Games Add Women's Wrestling, Drop Boxing Category

Updated: Wed, Sep 19
By Adrian Warner

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Olympic chiefs, determined to stop the expansion of the Summer Games, have decided to drop one weight category in boxing at the 2004 Athens Olympics and refuse requests to introduce mixed doubles in tennis and table tennis.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed at a meeting Wednesday to introduce four women's wrestling events at the Games for the first time but two men's events will be dropped in the sport to stop any major increase in the number of competitors.

The IOC announced last year that it would not add any new sports to the program in Athens because it wanted to bring an end to the ever-increasing "gigantism" of the Games.

Water-skiing had been campaigning hard to be introduced in the Greek capital but the IOC is keen to keep the number of competitors to around the 10,000 level and refused its request to join the Games.

The IOC has now also turned down a proposal by swimming to add 50 meters backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly and open water disciplines to the Olympic program. All figure in the world championships.

IOC sports director Gilbert Felli said the highest weight category in boxing was likely to go. In practice, however, the decision will mean that all the weight categories will need to be amended rather than stopping the biggest heavyweights from competing. Many big professional boxers have first made their name at the Olympics.

"It's the first time we don't have an increase in the program. There has been an average of 20 events added at recent Games," Felli said.

WOMEN

The IOC has the problem of trying to trim down the Games while at the same time following its campaign to have more women competing at the 28-sport event. Two more teams will be allowed to compete in women's water polo in Athens, for example, and fencing is due to add the women's saber event. But one discipline is set to be dropped from fencing to allow the expansion.

The expansion of the Games was a trend of the era of former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch who retired in July after 21 years in charge of the organization. High-profile professional sports like tennis and baseball returned to the Games under his reign.

But new president Jacques Rogge, who witnessed the problems of the expansion of the Games at first hand as the IOC's chief coordinator of the 2000 Sydney Games, appears keen to set a new trend.

Rugby union is one of a number of sports which have been trying to get into the 2008 Games in Beijing. But it is clear that it will be hard for new sports to be added to the program without other disciplines being cut back. Felli said a decision on the 2008 program would be taken at the end of next year.

There are no major changes in the number one sport at the Games -- athletics -- but the IOC has introduced a maximum quota of competitors for track and field. It did not give the figure. The IOC said the situation of other high-profile sports like basketball and cycling had not changed.

Two more women's teams will be added to the soccer competition, however, and there will be changes to the equestrian events to reduce the sport's quota.

TUG-OF-WAR

The first step on the road to a sport joining the Games is for its international federation to be recognized by the IOC.

IOC director general Francois Carrard said tug-of-war, an Olympic event until 1920, had won the backing of the IOC's executive board for its federation to be recognized by the IOC. The decision will be made by the IOC's session in Salt Lake City next year before the Winter Games in the U.S. city.

The IOC decided not to ask the session to approve the recognition of the bodybuilding federation, however, after originally giving the sport provisional recognition.

The executive board did not give detailed reasons for the decision but Carrard said the general feeling in the meeting was that it should not be recognized within the Olympic movement.

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