Wrestling may be cut from 2020 Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee has opted to remove wrestling as one of the core sports during the 2020 Games. 

The decision, which took place at the executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, doesn't automatically mean that wrestling's no longer an Olympic event — rather, that wrestling will have to compete with seven other shortlisted sports for inclusion in the Games, the IOC said in a press release.

The IOC assessed each sport by looking at its TV ratings, ticket sales and global popularity. The Olympic Committee often reviews its core athletic events to make sure the entertainment remains relevant to its audience.

The eight sports — baseball/softball, Karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wake boarding, Wushu and wrestling — will make presentations to defend their relevance at an executive board meeting in St. Petersburg this May.

According to BBC News, modern pentathlon and Taekwondo had been the sports expected to be most at risk of getting cut.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, "This is a process of renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics," the Associated Press reported.

"In the view of the executive board, this was the best program for the Olympic Games in 2020. It's not a case of what's wrong with wrestling, it is what's right with the 25 core sports."