Kurt Angle shaking with rage over wrestling's KO

KURT ANGLE says his beloved wrestling has been KO’d by a disgraceful decision from the International Olympic Committee.

The US star, a gold medal-winner in Atlanta 1996, was shaking with rage that grappling had been cut from the roster of 25 "core" sports after Rio in 2016.

Now aged 44 but still competing with TNA Wrestling, he told SunSport: “It’s the world’s oldest sport and has too much tradition. It’s like dropping track and field.

“When I woke up this morning I knew there was going to be a sport dropped. I didn’t consider it would be wrestling.

“Because of the Olympics and MMA, wrestling is at its highest peak since 1980. It’s just off the charts.

“It’s a serious programme we have in the US, through junior high school, college, then the Olympics. We’re a world power and have made ourselves that way.

“And other countries are just as good. Iran, Bulgaria, Turkey, Cuba, Germany ... so many great countries and the talent is evenly dispersed.

“Russia has five million wrestlers. That’s more athletes than the USA sports combined. All they do is wrestle. How upset are they right now?"

Angle, who after leaving Olympic wrestling became a WWE star, mixing it with the likes of Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H, is adamant he will fight for the ruling body to reverse its decision.

He added: “I know if wrestling is dropped its entire history is in jeopardy. Even I’m in jeopardy of not being remembered.

“I pledged my heart and soul to the sport. I won a gold medal when I had everything stacked against me, including my neck being broken.

“Winning the world title in 1995 was harder than the Olympics but the truth is people measure you by the Olympics.

“I’m so angry I’ve been shaking all day. I can’t believe what they are thinking.

“If they are looking at revenue, then wrestling makes a heck of a lot more than judo or taekwondo or trampolining — that’s a sport for failed gymnasts. And badminton? It’s a recreational sport, how can that supercede wrestling?

“I believe this has something to do with female viewers. If females don’t want to watch and don’t understand I don’t blame.

“But wrestling has women competing now and that’s how we want to promote it."

Angle has just returned to the States after a recent UK tour.

And he said: “I’ll fight for it. They can’t just keep adding new sports and taking away the old ones.

“I’ll continue to wrestle for the TNA. The plan is on wrestling three more years then coach amateur wrestlers and fight my butt of to get wrestling back in the Olympics.”

Watch Kurt Angle on TNA Impact Wrestling every Sunday night at 9pm on Challenge TV.


The Sun