Mark Munoz dons his custom “Keep Olympic Wrestling” shirt. Photo by Erik Fontanez

Wrestling is back in the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee on Sunday voted to reinstate the original Olympic sport, placing the event in the 2020 and 2024 Olympic games.

“Today is the most important day in the 2,000-year history of our sport,” FILA President Nenad Lalovic told the Associated Press. “We feel the weight of that history. Remaining on the Olympic program is crucial to wrestling’s survival.”

Wrestling received 49 votes for reinstatement in the Games, beating out baseball/softball (24 votes) and squash (22 votes).

Seven months ago, the IOC decided to pull wrestling from the Games, which sent a shockwave through the wrestling and mixed martial arts communities. Many MMA fighter have their roots in wrestling, such as UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier, former two-division UFC champ Randy Couture and UFC middleweight Mark Munoz, among others.

The removal of wrestling from the Games spurred numerous petitions, which led to today’s IOC decision that will see the event return through 2024.

“We cannot imagine the games without wrestling,” Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the head of the Association of National Olympic Committees, told the AP. “Wrestling is a founder. Today was a great result.”

Video to Save Olympic Wrestling

Here is a thrilling video on the campaign to keep Wrestling as an Olympic sport.

Last February, the International Olympic Commite (IOC) decided not to include wrestling as one of the 25 modalities guaranteed to make the 2020 Games.

Since then, the wrestling community has gathered in a campaign against the IOC’s decision.

The video is yet another action in that direction.

The IOC will gather on May 29 to 31, in St. Petesburg, Russia, when wrestling will have its last chance to make the list.

USADA letter says Gabi is PED free

After Andre Galvão, another 2013 Pan champion got a letter from the USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) with some great news.

The female heavyweight and absolute black belt winner, Gabrielle Garcia, is in the clear for any performance enhancing substances, according to the letter.

Gabi posted the letter in her Facebook page this Sunday.

To GRACIEMAG, she said: “I have always had to prove to other people a lot of things in my career. People seem to forget that I was always big, but I lost many times before I became the athlete I am today. I lost to Ana Laura Cordeiro, to Ana Carol Lebre, to Lana Stefanac. Today, I train to overcome my limits because I want to be number 1. First they said I had no technique, then they said I was too big and after that they said I was on the juice. People give no value to hard training and to everything I give up to be a champion. I deserve to be a champion and I sincerely expect that all the people that talked about me and judged me are now sorry and start thinking about what they say before they say it. I showed them that my doping is my will power. If I have to be tested after the Worlds again, I will, but I hope that people start respecting me as an athlete that trains and dedicates to the sport. I know they will come with other excuses, but if I was going to care about all that people say, I would have abandoned the sport a long time ago.”

In the next days, the USADA must release all the other results from the athletes tested after the 2013 Pan.

Caio Terra, champion and tested in Irvine, one of the major supporters of the drug testing. Photo: Ivan Trindade / GracieMag.com

Professors requested and the IBJJF worked seriously to implant the drug testing for the first time in Jiu-Jitsu. In partnership with the agency United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the tests were promoted for the first time during Pan 2013 in Irvine, Calif. last weekend.

Because of the contract, the Federation staff can’t talk about the athletes selected for the urine test. However, the champions commented on it, despite the initial strangeness.

“It was a bit embarrassing, because of the presence of a woman there watching you. But they are right, this is the way,” praised Gabi Garcia, one of the athletes who was seen heading for the test.

Other names were the absolute champion Marcus Buchecha, Andre Galvao, Roberto Tussa, Caio Terra, Rafa and Gui Mendes, Luiza Monteiro and Vanessa Oliveira.

Featherweight athlete and bronze medalist Augusto Tanquinho talked about the draw process: “They randomly selected the categories of black belt, not the athletes. So when we had the result of the champions of each, they were called for the test.”

For some athletes, the most uncomfortable part of the exam was not being able to see some of the finals, since they were being tested.

“I liked the initiative. I expected to be tested, but I was not drawn this time. It is better for the competitors and clearer to the public. In Jiu-Jitsu, nothing replaces hard work,” praised Michael Langhi, lightweight champion.

The USADA, which conducts tests in accordance with the international rules of the IOC, has examined athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games since 2000 in the U.S. The agency will report test results to athletes when they are completed.

Olympic Wrestling took over the cover of GRACIEMAG in 2000

The wrestling community woke up today with some really sad news.

The Olympic Committee decided not to include the sport in the list of 25 modalities that are guaranteed to be in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

With that, wrestling will have a last chance to make the list at a presentation for the International Olympic Commitee Board, in St. Petersburg next May.

2012 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling Jordan Borroughs commented on the news.

“Needless to say I’m beyond saddened at the news of wrestling’s removal from the Olympic Games starting in 2020,” Burroughs posted on his Facebook page. “This is no time to be sad though. We need to come together as a community and realize that this is beyond gold medals. These are the dreams of millions of boys and girls across the world at stake. Don’t stop dreaming and don’t stop believing. Save Olympic Wrestling.”

His comments reverberated through social media channels and started the “Save Olympic Wrestling” campaign.

Wrestling worldwide ruling entity also released an statement on the matter. It reads:

“FILA was greatly astonished by today’s recommendation of the IOC Executive Board not to maintain wrestling among the 25 core sports for the 2020 Olympic Games. FILA will take all necessary measures to convince the IOC Executive Board and IOC members of the aberration of such decision against one of the founding sports of the ancient and modern Olympic Games. FILA has always complied with the IOC regulations and is reprensented in 180 countries, with wrestling being the national sport in a fair amount of them and the only possibility for athletes to represent their country at the Olympic Games, thus contributing to their universality. The FILA Bureau will meet in Phuket (THA) on 16-17 February and will address this issue in view of the presentation of wrestling in front of the IOC Executive Board in St-Petersburg next May.”

While we wait for further developments in the matter, GRACIEMAG brings back one of the most important moments of olympic wrestling.

The video below shows the up to 130kg division final match of the 2000 Olympics, in Sydney. Russian Alexander Karelin was after his forth gold medal and also defending the title of undefeated athlete in international matches. His adversary was American Rulon Gardner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9yiCuX1hV8