In what could hope to improve morale around the wrestling community, the schedule for the 2020ne Tokyo Olympics has been finalized and released. Event curriculum mirrors the original, with the only difference being that competition begins on August 1st rather than August 2nd (the start date for 2020).
Sunday, August 1 — Qualification-semifinals: Greco-Roman (60 kg, 130 kg); Women’s freestyle (76 kg)
Monday, August 2 — Qualification-semifinals: Greco-Roman (77 kg, 97 kg); Women’s freestyle (68 kg)
Bronze medal rounds/finals: Greco-Roman (60 kg, 130 kg); Women’s freestyle (76 kg)
Tuesday, August 3 — Qualification-semifinals: Greco-Roman (67 kg, 87 kg); Women’s freestyle (62 kg)
Bronze medal rounds/finals: Greco-Roman (77 kg, 97 kg); Women’s freestyle (68 kg)
Wednesday, August 4 — Qualification-semifinals: Men’s freestyle (57 kg, 86 kg); Women’s freestyle (57 kg)
Bronze medal rounds/finals: Greco-Roman (67 kg, 87 kg); Women’s freestyle (62 kg)
Thursday, August 5 — Qualification-semifinals: Men’s freestyle (74 kg, 125 kg); Women’s freestyle (53 kg)
Bronze medal rounds/finals: Men’s freestyle (57 kg, 86 kg); Women’s freestyle (57 kg)
Friday, August 6 — Qualification-semifinals: Men’s freestyle (65 kg, 97 kg); Women’s freestyle (50 kg)
Bronze medal rounds/finals: Men’s freestyle (74 kg, 125 kg); Women’s freestyle (53 kg)
Saturday, August 7 — Bronze medal rounds/finals: Men’s freestyle (65 kg, 97 kg); Women’s freestyle (50 kg)
The plan for the United States Greco-Roman Olympic Team in ’20 prior to the postponement was to first arrive in Nakatsugawa for training/lodging before traveling to the Olympic Village in anticipation of the Opening Ceremonies. After that, they were to return to Nakatsugawa and finish their preparation on July 29. Touch down in Tokyo for competition was scheduled for July 30 with wrestling set to start on August 2.
It is currently unknown if the US delegation will stick to this outline for ’21, or if a new training plan will be implemented in its stead. That is likely not the primary concern at the moment. Team USA Greco still needs to confirm 77 and 130 kilograms at the World OG Qualifier (Bulgaria next April); plus, there might be a World Team Trials to think about coming up this fall.
Interesting Take from Russian Legend
On Sunday, the Russian Federation’s official wrestling outlet WrestRus published an interview with multi-time World/’76 Olympic Champion Nikolai Balboshin to commemorate the 40-year anniversary of the ’80 Moscow Olympiad. The hook to the piece is that Balboshin was twice chosen as his nation’s flag carrier, an honor which holds immense distinction.
During his career, the now-71-year-old Balboshin was one of the sport’s most recognizable figures, amassing five World and European Championship titles in the 100-kilogram class. Though much of the interview (originally presented in Russian but converted to English via machine translation) centers around the actual physical difficulty of manning the flag during the Ceremonies, there are bits of competitive insights available throughout, as well. Including this little nugget below pertaining to former FILA president Rafael Martinetti:
“When the Swiss became the head of the International Federation, our guys won five or six gold medals at major competitions,” Balboshin said. “Martinetti did not hide his dislike for Russia and began to put a spoke in the wheels. Invented new rules that turned the fight into a farce. The outcome of the matches was decided not by the skill of the athletes, but by the judges, who issued absurd warnings. It’s no secret that representatives of many teams went to tournaments with suitcases of money.”
Rumors (if not outright eyewitness accounts) of various backroom dealings and other methods of corruption have blurred international wrestling’s public trust and optics for decades. However, these incidents are rarely discussed out in the open — particularly by foreigners, and especially by Russians. Balboshin does not dig into the subject matter further in the article, instead choosing to credit current United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic for his commitment to elevating the beauty and artistry of the classical style.
Norwegian Clubs Can Apply for Funds
Wrestling clubs in Norway are eligible to apply for federal compensation packages related to lost funds in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. There are several key parameters involved in order for clubs to receive moneys, and the “crisis package” is also being availed to a host of other sports. Qualifying factors look like this:
- Lost income that should have been arranged during this period. Examples of types of income are lost ticket income, parking income, lost flea market income. or kiosk sales.
- Lost ticket income from, for example, other activities that should have taken place in the association’s facilities.
- Lost rental income the association has.
- Lost income as a result of the association losing assignments in connection with an event or other specified activity during the period.
Listen to “5PM37: The wildman Sammy Jones” on Spreaker.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FIVE POINT MOVE PODCAST
iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music
