Iowa City tries to pin down 2012 Olympic Wrestling Trials

IOWA CITY - The University of Iowa Athletics Department and Iowa City-Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau have submitted a bid to host the 2012 United States Olympic Wrestling Team Trials.

Iowa City is one of seven cities to bid on the event expected to be held April 20-21, 2012, and will include all three Olympic wrestling styles consisting of men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle, according to a release from USA Wrestling. The U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team Trials are also included in the proposal.

The event will determine the U.S. Olympic team members for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"It's a pretty important event," Hawkeye wrestling coach Tom Brands said. "The next highest level is the Olympic Games. It's a big deal."

The other six cities in the running include Columbus, Ohio, Council Bluffs, Greensboro, N.C., Hampton, Va., Oklahoma City, Okla., and Pontiac, Mich. The field will be narrowed to three or four finalists on Dec. 20. Finalists will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., in mid-January to give a presentation to a panel of USA Wrestling and USA Weightlifting members.

“We are thrilled to see so much interest in hosting a U.S. Olympic Team Trials from communities around the country,” Scott Blackmun, USOC Chief Executive Officer, said to USA Wrestling. “We are grateful for the support from the seven cities bidding to host the 2012 Trials for Wrestling and Weightlifting – all demonstrating a passion for the Olympic Movement. These Trials promise to be an important step in shaping our 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.”

Brands said former Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Club Coach and current Cornell College head coach Mike Duroe was get the effort off the ground. Duroe has vast experience with international wrestling, serving as an assistant on the U.S. Men's Freestyle team the last four Olympics and was also the head coach for Guam at the 2008 Olympics at Beijing. Duroe was named the 2005 Freestyle Coach of the Year and was a competitor on the U.S. National Team from 1981-84.

"He was the energy that made us go for it," Brands said. "Without him saying let's do it, there's no way I'd put my energy into it."

The effort was supported by Athletics Director Gary Barta, according to Brands, and then the ICCACVB was contacted.

"They were instrumental in getting the information to us," ICCACVB Vice President Laurie Haman said about the UI.

Earning the rights to host the Olympic Trials will provide an economic boost for Johnson and Linn Counties, according to Haman. Visitors will spend money for lodging, food and entertainment, but they don't have estimated figures, yet.

"It would be a pretty substantial amount," Haman said. "It would sale out all the hotel rooms in the area and then some. For Johnson County, the impact is huge, but Linn County will also see some of that."

Iowa City seems like a perfect fit for the Olympic wrestling trials. It's already home of gold medal winners Dan Gable and Brands and bronze medalist and the Hawkeyes' associate head coach Terry Brands, who was a member of the USA Wrestling coaching staff before returning to Iowa City.

Optimism exists for Iowa City to win the bid.

"We have some great ties to our wrestling traditions at the University of Iowa, an embracing community, and a legacy, Dan Gable," Haman said. "These are just three of the top reasons we feel confident that Iowa City is a good fit for the USA Olympic Trials."

It would also provide a host site surrounded by strong wrestling tradition. Brands said there is plenty of tradition from major cities in a four to five hour radius.

"It's a big stage and Iowa City is a wrestling town," Brands said. "If we get it it's a good thing all the way around."

The ICCACVB has created a Facebook page to help champion the cause. The "Bring the 2012 USA Wrestling Olympic Trials to Iowa City" page has 1,173 fans. The bureau has used Facebook as a promotional tool over the last year and has had some success.

"We thought it would be a great way to show USA Wrestling how proud we are of the wrestling and show them we support it and want it to come here," Haman said. "It's taken off really well. It's pretty fun to watch."

According to USA Wrestling, a target date of Jan. 17, 2011, is set for a winning site to be announced.