Kurt Angle Comments On Wrestling Being Dropped From Olympics, TNA Asks Fans To Speak Out

As noted earlier, the International Olympic Committee voted during a meeting today in Lausanne, Switzerland to drop wrestling from its schedule for the 2020 Olympic Games. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that the decision was not "a case of what's wrong with wrestling, it is what's right with the 25 core sports."

The vote was completed by secret ballot over several rounds, and the final totals were not revealed. Wrestling will now have to compete with several other sports for inclusion in the 2020 Games, which includes baseball, softball, karate, roller sports, squash, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. The Associated Press noted that it is "extremely unlikely" that wrestling would be included so soon after being removed.

Kurt Angle, who won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling in the 1996 Olympic games, was shocked by the decision.

"We're going to fight this," Angle told FOX Sports. "They can't just drop it. They're keeping badminton and that sport where you jump on a trampoline, and they're dropping wrestling. It's just crazy. I don't know what this world is coming to. Things are changing."

Angle also told ImpactWrestling.com that he will do whatever it takes to keep wrestling in the Olympics.

"The wrestling community is in a state of shock with this decision? we can not sit back and allow this to happen," said Angle. "I will do whatever it takes and work with my company TNA WRESTLING and the competitive wrestling community to determine what we need to do to reverse this decision."

TNA is encouraging fans to do their part in helping reverse the decision by using #SaveOlympicWrestling and @Olympics on Twitter.

"The news from the IOC is very disheartening to all of us at TNA as well as the tens of millions around the world who either participate in amateur wrestling or enjoy watching it in its entertainment form," said TNA President Dixie Carter. "We need to join together right now. We encourage our own IMPACT WRESTLING community, WWE and wrestling organizations worldwide as well as competitive amateur coaches and athletes to have a unified voice to make sure wrestling will be an Olympic sport in 2020."