IHSAA issues statement supporting Olympic wrestling

The Iowa High School Athletic Association issued a statement Thursday regarding the International Olympic Committee's decision to eliminate wrestling beginning with the 2020 Games.

IHSAA Statement Concerning the IOC Decision to Eliminate Wrestling from the 2020 Olympic GamesThe Iowa High School Athletic Association Board of Control, representing our 378 member schools and over 7,500 high school students participating in interscholastic wrestling, is concerned with the recent decision announced by the International Olympic Committee recommending that the sport of wrestling be dropped from the 2020 Olympic Games.Wrestling has always been a high interest sport in Iowa which holds the largest high school State Tournament in America. Local meets and the IHSAA tournament series create tremendous fan and media support in Iowa.The educational values that wrestlers learn are significant in their development as future citizens. Many Iowans have benefited from high school, collegiate and international competition. The decision to exclude wrestling as an Olympic sport will have a negative effect on wrestling at all levels. Wrestling has been a prominent sport in the original and Modern Day Olympic Games and true to the Olympic Oath has inspired good will among competing nations. The Iowa High School Athletic Association believes this decision should be reversed and that wrestling should remain a valued part of the Olympic Games.