USA Wrestling promises communications push in wake of Olympics snub

Naturally, scorned hordes took to social media to voice their displeasure with the International Olympic Committee’s decision.

USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender was among the first to chime in with a statement saying he was “surprised and disappointed” by the announcement.

A Facebook community called Keep Wrestling in the Olympics, spearheaded by USA Wrestling, has attracted more than 60,000 fans before it was 24 hours old.

Jordan Burroughs, one of the sport’s most visible athletes, posted his disappointment to his Facebook page. The post received more than 5,500 likes, 400 comments and nearly 2,200 shares.

Burroughs writes:

“I will do my share in protecting not only my dream, but every little wrestlers dream worldwide. Still, if wrestling is axed, it will be tough to look kids in the eye for the rest of my life and tell them that they can’t follow their dreams anymore, they’re no longer Olympic hopefuls. They’ve lost to an opponent that they’ve never had a shot against. One that’s never even worn a headgear. The IOC. Heartbroken.”