English: IOC President Jacques Rogge at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the IOC Session. (ATR) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A decision to remove wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games programme and then include it in a shortlist of sports was no mistake, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said on Friday.
Wrestling was taken off the programme in February in a move that stunned the sporting world but it managed to join baseball/softball and squash this week as one of three sports that will be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Games.
The IOC will elect the winning sport at its session in Buenos Aires in September.
“I do not see shortcomings in the system, I do not see errors in the system,” Rogge told reporters at the end of a three-day executive board meeting.
The IOC set out to revamp the Games programme to make it more relevant to a younger generation of fans and sponsors but, with wrestling back as a candidate for inclusion, the procedure has been heavily criticised for having achieved little change.
“We do not want change for change,” Rogge said. “The purpose is to have the best possible Olympic Games.” – Reuters
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