Wow.... If they toss wrestling... How did Sailing survive... I watched more minutes of wrestling then I ever did of sailing.

I heard that on the radio this morning. Kinds stupid if you ask me. The Olympics is about war games, wrestling us about as combative as you can get.

I also heard Rio will cost $6 billion, how the Olympics survives at all is crazy.

That surprised me too - wasn't wrestling an original olympic sport? (in some shape)

At least we still have synchronized swimming!

I think its very simple: Its all about money now. Heritage and sentimentality be damned. Wrestling is decidedly not a money sport.

The Olympics lost its appeal to me long ago. If wrestling, presumably one of the core sports of the origianl games, is no longer included, what is the point?

Wrestling was one of the sports in the ancient games. As was hopelite running. Spear throwing. Length jumping with weights. Discos throw, Mixed Martial Arts etc.

In the modern games greco-roman wrestling has been part of the games since the first modern games in 1896 and in all summer games since 1908 I believe.

Wrestling is out, that is the fact. Sailing better deliver good TV entertainment in the future. Crash and burn baby!

two words...table tennis.

number of news articles by sport published for the 2004 games:

rank Federation Sport Sub-Sport Articles
1 IAAF Athletics Track and field 1987
2 FINA Aquatics Swimming 1135
3 FIFA Football (Soccer) 633
4 FIG Gymnastics Artistic 598
5 FIBA Basketball 584
6 IJF Judo 436
7 ITF Tennis 356
8 IAAF Athletics Marathon 328
9 IWF Weightlifting 325
10 ISAF Sailing 307
11 FIH Field Hockey 303
12 AIBA Boxing 300
13 FISA Rowing 299
14 UCI Cycling Track 295
15 ISSF Shooting 267
16 FIVB Volleyball Indoor 248
17 FINA Aquatics Diving 243
18 IBAF Baseball 207
19 FIE Fencing 198
20 UCI Cycling Road 196
21 ICF Canoeing Flatwater 195
22 FIVB Volleyball Beach 186
23 FINA Aquatics Waterpolo 177
24 IHF Handball 176
25 FITA Archery 150
26 ISF Softball 150
27 FILA Wrestling Freestyle 135
28 IAAF Athletics Race walking 125
29 ITTF Table Tennis 122
30 FEI Equestrian Eventing 117
31 FILA Wrestling Greco-Roman 99
32 IBF Badminton 96
33 FINA Aquatics Synchro 95
34 ITU Triathlon 87
35 WTF Taekwondo 80
36 ICF Canoeing Slalom 72
37 FEI Equestrian Dressage 72
38 FEI Equestrian Jumping 64
39 UCI Cycling Mountain Bike 55
40 UIPM Modern Pentathlon 54
41 FIG Gymnastics Rhythmic 51
42 FIG Gymnastics Trampoline 32

always had trouble watching grown men writhe all over each other. Two ladies, on the other hand....

Having those skills (wrestling, martial arts) is a good thing, but I figure if a bad guy's that close and I haven't shot them a few times by then, I'm probably screwed anyway.

I always like the Olympics as being the pinnacle of an Amateur's career. Having paid professional athletes in there seems to take the luster off the achievement.

On the other hand, does it raise the stakes for amateurs who have to compete against professionals?

Would winning a silver medal against a professional athlete be better than a gold medal in a fleet of amateurs?

IMO, yes.