Senate Resolution 11 - Introduced SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 11 BY BOWMAN , ZAUN , SODDERS , HART , WILHELM , HOGG , HORN , DEARDEN , BRASE , SENG , HATCH , RAGAN , DVORSKY , BEALL , DOTZLER , DIX , CHELGREN , SEGEBART , FEENSTRA , WHITVER , ERNST , ZUMBACH , BREITBACH , HOUSER , BEHN , BOETTGER , KAPUCIAN , GUTH , ROZENBOOM , SMITH , SINCLAIR , BOLKCOM , McCOY , SCHOENJAHN , MATHIS , TAYLOR , BLACK , PETERSEN , DANIELSON , JOCHUM , SCHNEIDER , CHAPMAN , JOHNSON , QUIRMBACH , SORENSON , BERTRAND , ANDERSON , GREINER , COURTNEY , and GRONSTAL A Resolution opposing the decision of the International 1 Olympic Committee to end wrestling as an Olympic 2 event. 3 WHEREAS, the sport of wrestling, which combines both 4 freestyle and Greco-Roman events, goes back to the 5 first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896; and 6 WHEREAS, over the last century, wrestling expanded 7 to feature 344 athletes competing in 11 medal events 8 in freestyle and seven in Greco-Roman at the London 9 Olympics, and women’s wrestling was added at the 2004 10 Athens Games; and 11 WHEREAS, Iowa has a rich heritage in the sport 12 of wrestling at all levels, including a premier high 13 school program and the world-class collegiate programs 14 at Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and 15 the University of Northern Iowa; and 16 WHEREAS, Dan Gable won three state championships at 17 Waterloo West High School and then wrestled at Iowa 18 State where he won multiple national championships and 19 later won Olympic gold, thereafter becoming a coaching 20 -1- LSB 2229SS (7) 85 jr/nh 1/ 2

S.R. 11 legend at the University of Iowa and at the 1980, 1984, 1 and 2000 Olympics; and 2 WHEREAS, Jake Varner, a former Iowa State wrestler, 3 won gold at the 2012 London Olympics; and 4 WHEREAS, the action of the International Olympic 5 Committee threatens the future of a sport practiced 6 for three millennia and threatens the future of Iowa’s 7 college and high school wrestling programs, which have 8 been carefully developed over the last 50 years; NOW 9 THEREFORE, 10 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate 11 opposes the action of the International Olympic 12 Committee to end wrestling as an Olympic event and 13 urges that body to reconsider its action. 14 -2- LSB 2229SS (7) 85 jr/nh 2/ 2