The recently-elected president of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) Nenad Lalovic highlighted that the widespread reforms introduced to the historic sport of wrestling gives it a very strong possibility of reclaiming its place in the Olympics.
The 55-year-old Serb has been the impetus behind the modifications both to the rules and the statute since he replaced Raphael Martinetti. The latter resigned after the surprise decision by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee in February to pull out the sport from the 2020 Games.
Lalovic disclosed in an exclusive telephonic interview conducted from FILA headquarters in Lausanne at Switzerland that wrestling has emerged after an appalling period. Also a keen yachtsman, he reminded that when one sinks it is only when one hit the bottom that one can rise again. Wrestling have proved that. Right now, they are super positive after taking a terrible blow.
Wrestling--one of the few sports to have transcended both the ancient Olympics and the modern games will encounter the first obstacle at reclaiming their spot next Wednesday. The IOC executive board is supposed to meet in St Petersburg at Russia to decide which sports to recommend to the wider IOC membership at its Session in Buenos Aires in early September with eight sports ready for consideration. Wrestling is widely expected to capture a place in the short list with squash as the closest opponent already fought an effective campaign.
Lalovic is confident that they will prevail in the final showdown. He took the measure to include a woman vice-president for the first time when fresh elections are held next year. He is confident and strongly believes that they will succeed, though, of course it is always possible one can lose. He claimed to have introduced reforms and presently they have to use those to regain their place. They must put on a good presentation next week and subsequently hope to prepare for September. He is sure that by then they will have applied the new rules in test competitions. He anticipated that it would take time for coaches and referees to adapt to the latest rules planned for the sport.
Instead of the three two-minute periods at present, there will be two three minute periods with more crowd friendly attacking wrestling being rewarded. This idea will be put to test at the world junior championships in Sofia in August. Lalovic claimed that this will give them the opportunity to show the IOC members in Buenos Aires how the changed rules have made a difference and aroused the interest of the spectators and the media. He asserted that small federations require time to digest such noteworthy changes as opposed to large federations for whom it is easier. They have an enormous amount of work to do but they will do it as soon as possible.
Lalovic revealed the fact that wrestling authorities from bitter political enemies and powerhouses of the sport like Iran and the United States had joined forces and showed how much the sport's exclusion had provoked such a united reaction. In fact, wrestlers from Iran, Russia and the United States recently cohered at the United Nations to promote the sport and then competed against each other at Grand Central Station with the Iranians hammering the Americans in their match.
Referring to the unity being displayed, Lalovic exclaimed wrestling as the magic of the sport. He admitted that they had fallen into a crisis while the Federation was not strong and they were asleep. However everyone gathered together from all corners of the world and realized that in unison, they could pull themselves out of it. He added that they are wide awake. He insisted that win or lose the fight will continue. He added that in case they lose in September then the very next day they will commence the battle to reclaim their place in the Olympic Games. He opined that the morale of a wrestler is a very specific thing. They can be thrown onto the mat but there is no such thing in their psyche as a knockout.
