Wrestling, baseball/softball make cut for Olympic vote

Kelly Whiteside | USA TODAY Sports

Now that wrestling has made it past the semifinals, it's time to get ready for the finals, as the vice president of the sport's governing body put it.

Three months after it was surprisingly removed from the list of core Olympic sports, wrestling gets another shot. The International Olympic Committee's executive board shortlisted three sports Wednesday for inclusion beginning with the 2020 Summer Games.

Also competing for the single opening is a joint bid by baseball/softball and squash. A final decision will be made in September after a full membership vote in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The inclusion of baseball and softball was somewhat of a surprise, given karate was expected to vie for third place. A letter of support from Major League Baseball helped the bid's presentation, said Don Porter, the co-president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation. "We hope to continue discussions with them as we finish the 7th inning and head to the 9th," Porter wrote in an email to USA TODAY Sports.

Major League Baseball won't release the letter, but a person familiar with its contents said Wednesday it did not include any new proposals that would make major leaguers available for the Games. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

The absence of major league players in the Olympics was a major factor in the IOC's decision to drop baseball and the issue remains critical to any chance of reinstatement. Officials from the WBSC met with the Major League Baseball Players Association recently to discuss a condensed Olympic schedule that could allow major league players to participate.

However, MLB commissioner Bud Selig reiterated at recent Associated Press Sports Editors meetings that baseball would not stop its schedule to permit major league players to participate in the Olympics.

Karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and the Chinese martial art of wushu were eliminated on Wednesday. Franco Carraro, who chairs the Olympic program commission, said in a news conference he hoped the process had been "useful" for the five sports not selected. "We understand they are not happy," he said.

After convincing the 14 voting members of the IOC executive board, now wrestling must persuade the 87 others who will vote in the "finals" in September, FILA vice president Stan Dziedzic said Wednesday.

The sport plans to reach out to all 101 IOC members to make its case. "We impressed the executive board. We were the first sport selected overwhelmingly by the executive board," said Jim Scherr, the former U.S. Olympic Committee CEO who was part of Wednesday's presentation.

Scherr said the sport now needs to make sure the 101 members know about wrestling's strengths, the changes already made and its plans for the future. "And hope that it will carry the day and be successful and I think it will," Scherr said.

Next wrestling will form a strategic plan to address the presentation and marketing of the sport. Swiss sports marketing firm TSE Consulting will help formulate that plan and present it to FILA in August.

Clearly the IOC's executive board, which voted after each sport made a 30-minute presentation Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russia, was impressed with wrestling's progress. Wrestling responded to the initial takedown with a relentless social media campaign and significant change.

FILA elected a new president, included more women in decision-making roles, added two more women's weight classes and adopted rule changes to make the sport easier to understand.

Its makeover also may include a few tricks borrowed from the MMA world (no more singlets, addition of music, lighting, visual effects) to make the sport more entertaining.

Though wrestling will head into September voting as an early favorite, squash will also have plenty of support. Squash has already done what wrestling hopes to do – boost its entertainment value. At pro squash events, high volume music blasts at breaks during the matches. Its glass court can be placed just about anywhere indoors or outdoors and tournaments have been held in front of the pyramids in Egypt and in Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal. It also has introduced viewer-friendly replay and other TV camera techniques to improve its broadcast appeal.

Contributing: Bob Nightengale