National Federation of State High School Associations Executive Director Bob Gardner issued this statement in response to dropping wrestling from the Olympics.
"The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is extremely disappointed in the International Olympic Committee's recommendation to drop the sport of wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games.
"Wrestling has been a core sport at the high school, college and Olympic levels for more than 100 years. More than 272,000 boys are involved in high school wrestling programs and it is the sixth-most popular sport. Recently, the interest by girls in the sports has accelerated and now more than 8,200 girls are wrestling across the country.
"Wrestling was one of the original sports in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and more than 200 nations compete in the sport. In certain areas of our nation, one of the hardest tickets to find is to the state high school wrestling tournament. While the sport is healthy and vibrant at the American high school level, it should also remain a part of the world's most treasured sporting event - the Olympic Games."
• Read more articles by Bill Paterson
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