Top Female wrestlers from Canada, USA and Ukraine join forces to Save Olympic Wrestling

(Ottawa, ON – May 10, 2013) Wrestling Canada, in conjunction with USA Wrestling and the Ukrainian Wrestling Association, will take part in a spectacular wrestling tri-meet at Niagara Falls on May 31 to end the month of May with a bang. May has been designated “International Wrestling Month” by the International Wrestling governing body, FILA.

The demonstration meet dubbed “Battle At The Falls”, which will be wrestled in a tri-meet format, will take place at the iconic Niagara Falls, a spectacular backdrop for these wrestling matches.

“This will be a great showcase for wrestling, featuring the best female wrestlers from Ukraine, United States and Canada together for wrestling. Canada is an international leader among women wrestling, and a great fit to host such as event.” said Tonya Verbeek, three-time Olympic medallist who lives just a few kilometers from the Niagara Falls. 

Added Carol Huynh, 2008 Olympic Champion: “This is going to be a fantastic and fun-filled event for wrestling in Canada, and represents a great opportunity for the sports fans to see some of the best female wrestlers compete in Canada. What a great location to host such a meet. With the Pan-American Games coming to the Greater Toronto Area in 2015, the GTA population can get a glimpse of what is to come in just a few years.”

Rosters and schedules will be announced at a later date.

USA Wrestling will host a similar meet for the menthis month, at the Grand Central Terminal in New-York, featuring USA, Russia and Iran. With Canada as a world leader in women’s wrestling, it is fitting for Canada host an event for the women.

The event, sanctioned by Wrestling Canada, is being organized locally by the Brock Wrestling Club in St. Catharines, led by Marty Calder. The event has received the full support of FILA and will be promoted through FILA’s website and social media sites.

Wrestling is currently vying to regain its spot on the core Olympic programme after it was recommended by the IOC Executive Committee to be removed from programme for the 2020 Olympic Games.

On May 18, the FILA will gather in Moscow, Russia for an extraordinary meeting, while on May 31, the IOC Executive Committee will narrow the list from eight to three sports. Those three sports will then have one final presentation to make before the decisive vote at the IOC Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 7-10.