GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany - The new interim president of the international wrestling federation says reforming the sport's often incomprehensible rules will be a top priority as it seeks to retain Olympic status.
Nenad Lalovic tells The Associated Press that wrestling had itself partly to blame for the International Olympic Committee's decision to drop the sport from its Summer Games program for 2020. The sport could be reinstated, although it seems unlikely.
Lalovic says wrestling urgently needs more user-friendly rules that would benefit spectators, television and athletes alike.
He said wrestling was caught off guard by the IOC decision and will have to bounce back to prove it's worthy of remaining on the Olympic program.
Speaking by telephone from the federation's headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, Lalovic acknowledged that wrestling had to improve its image.
