Moscow: Wrestling has introduced drastic changes designed to keep the ancient sport in the Olympic programme, the newly-elected president of the world governing body (FILA) said on Saturday. More categories for women, eliminating draws and cutting down the number of competitors are just some of the initiatives being introduced as wrestling battles to salvage its Olympic status after the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s executive board made a surprise recommendation to drop it from the 2020 Games programme.
"Today we made decisions needed for our struggle to remain in the Olympic movement," Serbian Nenad Lalovic told a news conference shortly after winning overwhelming majority votes to lead the sport at FILA's extraordinary congress in Moscow. The sport, which featured in the first modern Olympics in 1896 and every Games since apart from 1900, has joined seven other candidates battling for one spot in a revamped programme.
Wrestlers were told to bring changes to their sport, adapt to a new environment and make it more suitable for television audience if they wanted to remain in the Olympics. "They (IOC) gave us a yellow card, so we had to change. And we did," Lalovic said. "The new rules had been adapted. Also we gave more equality to women in our sport. The most important thing is the changes in our constitution and the new rules."
Wrestling, which had 18 medals - seven in both freestyle and Greco-Roman and four for women - contested at last year's London Olympics, has now
12:07 AM, May 19, 2013
CNN-IBN's Deputy Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo finds out how Rajyavardhan Rathore was allowed to compete at the 2004 Games despite failing a drug test in a build-up event. ...
01:02 PM, May 16, 2013
New Delhi: India's Sports Minister Jitender Singh on Thursday said that the roadmap for India's return to the Olympic fold has been chalked out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and it will take 30 to 60 days to complete the entire process. The Sports Minister, who met the IOC officials in Lausanne on Wednesday, said, "The roadmap has been decided by IOC to bring India back into the Olympic...
08:28 AM, May 16, 2013
Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has dismissed allegations from the National Rifle Association of India that he failed a drugs test ahead of the Games in 2004. ...
09:37 PM, May 15, 2013
Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has dismissed allegations from the National Rifle Association of India that he failed a drugs test ahead of the Games in 2004. ...
09:37 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra, part of the sports ministry delegation to Lausanne, Wednesday said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was worried about the governance of Indian sports. Bindra has gone to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne with the ministry officials for getting India back into the Olympic fold. The IOC suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) last December for violating the Olympic charter in its election process. "IOC...
06:18 PM, May 15, 2013
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Bindra said the ban hadn't been lifted yet as it could not happen in one meeting. ...
05:27 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: With four days to go for the crucial meeting between Indian officials and the International Olympic Committee, efforts to persuade acting IOA President VK Malhotra and IOC member in India Randhir Singh to reconsider their decision to pull out have not borne fruit with both insisting on staying away. Malhotra and Randhir had decided to boycott the meeting came a day after the IOC agreed to include Hockey...
05:48 PM, May 11, 2013
London: Britain's 2008 Olympic sailing champion Andrew Simpson was killed when his yacht capsized during a training session in the United States, his team said Friday. "The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened," CEO Paul Cayard said. Simpson, who won an Olympic gold in the Star class at the games in Beijing and silver in London last year, was one of the 11-man crew aboard Artemis Racing's...
02:19 PM, May 10, 2013
New Delhi: Sports Ministry on Thursday termed Vijay Kumar Malhotra's decision to stay away from the May 15 meeting with the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne as "disappointing" but said that the IOA acting chief's presence would not have in any case mattered too much. "I am disappointed. I wish he could reconsider his decision and come for the meeting. However, Malhotra's presence does not matter too much in any...
06:05 PM, May 09, 2013
India's 19-year-old fencing hope Bhavani Devi eyes recognition for herself and the sport in the country. ...
09:07 AM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: Three separate lists of sports officials have gone to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) offering to present India's case before the apex body of Olympic sports in Lausanne May 15 for lifting the suspension of the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA). The three lists have a couple of common names but they are all waiting to hear from the IOC which of the lists or a common panel would...
09:21 PM, May 03, 2013
London: Britain's most successful Olympian Chris Hoy is to retire from track cycling having exhausted "every last ounce of effort and energy", the six-time Games gold medal winner said on Thursday. Hoy, 37, has decided against competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in his native Scotland. "I am officially announcing my retirement. It was not a decision I took easily or lightly, but I know it's the right...
04:49 PM, Apr 18, 2013
New Delhi: Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said that the stand-off between the government and the IOA over the contentious Sports Code was nearing resolution, a development which could pave the way for India putting up a united front in the joint meeting with the IOC next month. Talking to reporters after a meeting with IOC member in India, Randhir Singh, Jitendra said he was confident of India returning...
06:14 PM, Apr 17, 2013
New Delhi: The Sports Ministry announced on Tuesday that Olympic medallist Vijender Singh's samples tested negative for drugs. The boxer was alleged to have consumed recreational drugs with sparring partner Ram Singh. The Beijing Olympics bronze medalist had submitted his blood and urine samples to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after being directed by the Ministry. "Vijender Singh along with four others was subjected to an out of competition test...
05:24 PM, Apr 16, 2013
Special Olympics medal winner Sita Sahu has been forced to work at a roadside eatery and sell gol gappas (a ball of flour filled with spicy water) in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. Sita had won two bronze medals in 2011 Athens Special Olympics but due to financial problems, she has now been forced to work at a shop. Madhya Pradesh Social Justice Minister Gopal Bhargava had announced that Rs 50,000 would ...
10:40 AM, Apr 12, 2013
VK Malhotra is accused of vested interest in deliberately delaying the process of getting India's ban from Olympics. ...
06:49 PM, Apr 03, 2013
Olympian boxer Vijender Singh continues to sink deeper into trouble with each passing day. The Sports Ministry has instructed the National Anti-doping Agency to test the boxing star for heroin consumption after the Punjab Police pointed towards repeated use of the drug by Vijender. ...
08:44 AM, Apr 02, 2013
Tokyo is competing with Istanbul and Madrid to host the Olympics for a second time after becoming the first Asian city to host the multi-sport event in 1964. ...
01:25 PM, Mar 25, 2013
