By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
The International Olympic Committee has voted to nix wrestling from its 2020 Games.
Our tri-state area is a mecca for the sport, so folks in Siouxland were shocked to hear the news, especially on the eve of wrestling state and regional tournaments.
Young wrestlers see it is a body slam, a blow to goals, dreams and the idea that hard work will eventually pay off.
"I was shocked to hear it, I didn't believe it. Every young wrestler's dream has been taken away by this," said Nathan Ryan, a Morningside College Wrestler.
Morningside College Coach Jake Stevenson said, "It's kind of heartbreaking definitely. The U.S. did really good this year, we had 2 gold medallists."
"I dreamed of one day being able to go in there and wrestle for them, it'd be amazing," said Sioux City North High Wrestler Gage Martin.
"My fellow wrestlers say it's a slap in the face to the Olympics. Wrestling was in the first ever Olympics," said North High Wrestler Alberto Jurado.
The International Olympic Committee has voted to add wrestling to a list of 7 other sports on the chopping block, saying it ranked low in TV and arena popularity at the London Games.
Only 1 of those 7 sports will survive through two sets of future votes, but even that isn't a sure thing.
North High Coach John Torno said, "Do I think that will stick? I think there's a very strong wrestling community that will probably throw their full weight behind the lobbying effort to get the committee to reassess that."
You see, wrestling isn't like other sports. There's no professional league. Once you graduate college, it's the Olympics, that's it.
"It just seems like there's nothing to shoot for now," said Nathan Ryan.
