We are launching the Akira Pena Wrestling Initiative to keep wrestling as a competition in the Olympics. In February 2013, the IOC announced that it would be removing some events of non-core sports from the games to cut costs, yet wrestling has remained a core sport since it was introduced to the Olympics in the ancient games in 708 B.C.
Many in the United States rely on wrestling for their employment and education. For example, at the Division 1 level, 80 universities have wrestling teams. A total of 792 scholarships are offered in Division 1 wrestling. At the Division 2 level, 53 universities have wrestling teams. A total of 477 scholarships are offered in Division 2 wrestling. The removal of wrestling from Olympic competition puts these jobs and students in jeopardy.