Wrestling expects to make Olympic shortlist

Reuters: Wrestling expects to make an International Olympic Committee shortlist of candidate sports for the 2020 Games as it battles to restore its Olympic presence, international federation (FILA) president Nenad Lalovic told Reuters.

“We of course expect to be in the shortlist,” the Serbian said in a telephone interview before his departure for the IOC Executive Board meeting in Russia this week.

“We don’t have guarantees but we will go to compete like on the mat and the best will win.” The IOC surprisingly dropped wrestling from the list of core sports for the 2020 Games in February, forcing it to join seven other candidate sports that will battle it out for the one vacant spot when the IOC session votes in Buenos Aires in September.

The eight contenders will be reduced on Wednesday when the IOC announces a shortlist after brief presentations from the candidate sports. The IOC has not said how many will be short-listed.