Download Preserving Wrestling in the Olympics: A Resolution from the State of Illinois and more Study notes History in PDF only on Docsity!
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 169
AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Resolution 169, AS AMENDED, by replacing everything after the heading with the following:
"WHEREAS, The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reviewed 26 sports on its summer program and decided to eliminate wrestling as an Olympic sport, stunning the world's wrestlers, who see their sport as popular and steeped in history as old as the Olympics themselves; and
WHEREAS, While wrestling will be included at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, it will not be included in the 2020 Olympic Games; and
WHEREAS, The executive board of the IOC voted after reviewing an IOC program commission report that analyzed 39 criteria, including TV ratings, ticket sales, global participation, and popularity; and
LRB09811395GRL44333a
HR0169HAM002 LRB098 11395 GRL 44333 a
WHEREAS, According to IOC documents, wrestling ranked "low" in several of the technical criteria; and
WHEREAS, The decision to phase out wrestling will have a detrimental impact on many teams around the world, including the United States, whose wrestling medals are only outnumbered by swimming and track and field; and
WHEREAS, Wrestling is also one of the most popular youth sports in the United States, with nearly 275,000 competitors from 2010 to 2011; and
WHEREAS, Illinois has the second most high school wrestlers in any state in the nation, with 17,112 high school boys and girls wrestling in the 2011-2012 year; and
WHEREAS, The Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation, USA Wrestling's state association in Illinois for wrestlers between the ages of 5-13, has the largest membership in the nation within USA Wrestling, with almost 19,000 members last year and a complete program of events and opportunities for wrestlers of all levels in the State; and
WHEREAS, Illinois is also active in college wrestling through 18 college programs, including the Division I programs
and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Richard Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling; James Considine, Illinois State Director of USA Wrestling; and the United States Olympic Committee.".
