Neuman: Legislature Scores Take Down on Olympic Wrestling Ruling

State Rep. Brandon Neuman on Monday applauded the state House and Senate for their unanimous approval of concurrent resolutions urging the International Olympic Committee to restore wrestling as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Summer Games.

“The Olympic committee’s decision to drop wrestling is incomprehensible in Pennsylvania,” Neuman, D-North Strabane, said. “Wrestling is ingrained in our culture, and Pennsylvania is the hotbed of wrestling, renowned for its wrestlers and high school and college programs.

The legislator continued: “We speak with one voice—wrestling must be restored for the 2020 Olympics,” Neuman said. “The committee must be shown the error of its ways and restore this time-honored sport to its rightful spot as a premier Olympic sport and staple.”

Neuman, a former Canon-McMillan High School wrestler, is the

“If the decision to drop wrestling were made this month, I would have thought it an April Fools’ Day joke,” Neuman said. “Wrestling was one of the original sports of the ancient Greek Olympic games, and the love of the sport burns brightly throughout the commonwealth.

Neuman also congratulated the Penn State wrestling team during a ceremony in the House chamber. The Nittany Lions recently scored its third straight NCAA wrestling championship while its wrestlers, including four All-Americans, led the Big 10 conference in academics.

“Pennsylvania and Penn State are at the pinnacle of wrestling,” said Neuman, who helped to sponsor an afternoon Capitol news conference urging restoration of wrestling in the Olympics.

The news conference featured Olympic champion and Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, as well as Olympians Jake Varner, Jake Herbert and Rob Eiter. Greg Strobel—a National Wrestling Hall of Famer, 2000 Olympic coach and former wrestling coach at Lehigh—spoke on behalf of USA Wrestling.