ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for including wrestling in the 2020 Olympics.
Putin told IOC members at a lunch in St. Petersburg that wrestling is “one of the fundamental sports” of the Olympics.
Putin’s comments Thursday came one day after the IOC executive board included wrestling as one of three sports on a shortlist for the games, along with squash and baseball-softball. In February, the IOC had removed wrestling as one of the core sports for 2020.
A final decision will be made in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
