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Regular Session, 2013
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 11
BY SENATOR CLAITOR AND REPRESENTATIVE LORUSSO
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. Urges IOC to reconsider its position on Olympic wrestling.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To urge and request the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reconsider its position2
on Olympic Wrestling.3
WHEREAS, wrestling has been popular throughout recorded history; and4
WHEREAS, the modern sportive form of wrestling, an individual weaponless5
combat activity, was developed in prehistoric times from survival fighting when it became6
convenient to replace death or serious injury with a more symbolic form of victory; and7
WHEREAS, origins of the sport can be traced back 15,000 years to cave drawings8
in France; and 9
WHEREAS, early Egyptian and Babylonian reliefs depict wrestlers using most of10
the holds known to the present-day sport; and11
WHEREAS, in ancient Greece, wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend and12
literature; wrestling competition was the supreme contest of the Olympic Games; and13
WHEREAS, although there is considerable evidence that wrestling existed in all14
early civilizations, it was in ancient Greece that it really developed into a sport and was15
included in the Olympic Games in 708 BC; and16
WHEREAS, when the modern Olympic Games resumed in Athens, Greece, in 1886,17
wrestling reestablished its position as one of the core sports of the games; and18 SCR NO. 11
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WHEREAS, during the Middle Ages, wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the1
patronage of many royal houses, including those of France, Japan, and England; and2
WHEREAS, early American settlers brought a strong wrestling tradition with them3
from England, and the colonists also found wrestling to be quite popular among the Native4
Americans; and 5
WHEREAS, amateur wrestling flourished throughout the early years of America and6
served as a popular activity at country fairs, holiday celebrations, and in military exercises;7
and8
WHEREAS, due to what the IOC has classified as "growing cost", the IOC has been9
faced with the difficult choice of reducing the number of athletes in the summer games; and10
WHEREAS, core sports would continue indefinitely in future Olympics, but non-11
core sports would be selected on a game-by-game basis; and 12
WHEREAS, on February 12, 2012, the IOC Executive Board made the ill-advised13
and ill-fated vote to recommend that wrestling be dropped as a core sport; and 14
WHEREAS, if approved by the full IOC, wrestling, the oldest of core Olympic15
sports, will have to compete with seven non-core sports, consisting of baseball/softball,16
squash, karate, sport climbing, wakeboarding, wushu and roller sports for a place in the 202017
Olympics; and18
WHEREAS, wrestling federations exist in approximately 180 countries and the19
recent London Olympic Games had wrestlers from over 70 countries; and20
WHEREAS, the Olympics are supposed to be a display of sports from around the21
world; and22
WHEREAS, there is not a sport that is more historically global than wrestling; and23
WHEREAS, every culture and nation throughout history have created their own form24
of wrestling; and 25
WHEREAS, wrestling has a distinct economic advantage in comparison with other26
sports; and27
WHEREAS, wrestling is a sport that costs nothing in which to participate and28
requires no fancy equipment nor specially designed sports complexes; and29
WHEREAS, wrestling is a sport where even the poorest of countries and individuals30 SCR NO. 11
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can participate and have success; and 1
WHEREAS, wrestlers learn that long-term success has much more to do with the2
investment made than the natural gifts one is given; and 3
WHEREAS, wrestlers learn the value of preparation and hard work and the role they4
play in achieving one's goals; and 5
WHEREAS, wrestling provides real-life experiences that build and strengthen6
participants, including: self-reliance, mental fortitude, work ethic, competitive spirit,7
responsibility, self-discipline, goal orientation, and confidence; and 8
WHEREAS, Dan Gable, an Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. Olympic9
wrestling coach, succinctly summarized wrestling's character building characteristics when10
he stated, "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy"; and11
WHEREAS, many CEOs, high-level business people, and other successful12
individuals have stated that they owe their work ethic to the rigorous training and13
maintenance schedule that they learned in wrestling; and 14
WHEREAS, wrestling is also one of the most popular youth sports in the United15
States, with nearly 275,000 competitors from 2010 to 2011; and16
WHEREAS, the personal nature of the sport as well as the rigorous training required17
have been attributed to building the confidence of its participants; and18
WHEREAS, involvement in wrestling is a great way to develop the ability to defend19
one's self, without resorting to the violent tactics inherent in most other forms of self-20
defense; and21
WHEREAS, the decision to phase out wrestling will have a detrimental impact on22
many teams around the world, including the United States, whose wrestling medals are only23
outnumbered by swimming and track and field; and24
WHEREAS, the Olympics are the ultimate goal for every young wrestler; and25
WHEREAS, Olympic Wrestling competition is the final stage for most wrestlers, and26
removing it from the Olympics would destroy the dreams of young wrestlers across the27
world who toil day after day chasing this dream; and28
WHEREAS, not having wrestling at the Olympics will cripple the sport at the lower29
level and ruin the dreams and ambitions of thousands of devoted athletes; and30 SCR NO. 11
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WHEREAS, wrestling is, at its core, one of the most fundamental sports in which1
man has ever engaged and is the most primal and purest form of one-on-one competition2
known to mankind; and3
WHEREAS, removing wrestling from the Olympics would be a huge travesty in light4
of its contribution to the history of not only sports, but to the history of mankind as well; and5
WHEREAS, the governors of thirty-three states with rich wrestling traditions,6
including Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, expressed their concerns regarding the recent7
decision by the IOC to remove wrestling as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Olympic Games8
and strongly urge the IOC to reconsider its position and vote to extend wrestling's long9
legacy within the Olympic Games.10
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby11
urge and request the International Olympic Committee to reconsider its position on Olympic12
Wrestling. 13
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the14
International Olympic Committee, the Association of National Olympic Committees and the15
Pan American Sports Organization.16
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by James Benton.
DIGEST
Claitor SCR No. 11
Requests the International Olympic Committee to reconsider its position on Olympic
Wrestling.