Wrestling wins IOC vote for place in 2020 Olympics

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Wrestling, a sport as ancient as the games themselves, is back in the Olympics after seven months in limbo and even more determined to keep its place for centuries to come.
The International Olympic Committee fixed what it admits was a big mistake Sunday, voting wrestling back onto the program for the 2020 and 2024 Games.
Wrestling received 49 votes to win in the first round of the secret balloting by the International Olympic Committee. Baseball-softball got 24 votes and squash 22.
Wrestling was approved by the IOC on Sunday as an "additional sport" for 2020 and 2024. FILA's goal now is win back a place in the list of 25 "core" sports.
Canadian member Dick Pound proposed postponement of the vote for five months to allow a new sport to get in, but that was rejected by Rogge and the rest of the delegates.
For the future, the IOC will consider tweaking the process, possibly juggling events and disciplines to make room for new sports while keeping within the cap of 10,500 athletes.
Squash and baseball-softball could potentially get another chance to make it onto the 2020 program.
Don Porter, the American co-president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation, choked up and had tears in his eyes as he talked about receiving letters from young girls who were distraught when softball was dropped.
Porter broke down again later when he told reporters: "I feel like I let them down."

(Read the full story on The Mainichi)