Ingush Leader Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for planning to remove wrestling from the Olympic Games in 2020, RIA Novosti reports.
Yevkurov insists that no clear reasons for the IOC’s initiative were given. He reminded that Russian wrestlers had won 11 medals in wrestling during the Olympic Games in London.
The Ingush leader emphasized that there were tens of thousands of wrestlers in the Caucasus, including about 5,000 young wrestlers in Ingushetia, such notorious wrestlers as Berd Yevloyev, the first professional Ingush wrestler, World and European Free-Wrestling Champion nicknamed the Lion of the Caucasus. Other well-known wrestlers are Vakhi Yevloyev, Adam Barakhoyev and Nazir Mankiyev. The latter won the first gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling for Russia in Beijing.
The IOC had a meeting in Losanna and considered a report recommending removal of wrestling from the list of Olympic Games of 2020 on Tuesday. Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran demand wrestling to be included in the program.
