NEW YORK, August 6, 2013 – The Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW) in conjunction with USA Wrestling and FILA are hosting another Google+ Hangout On Air this Thursday August 8 at 5pm ET, this time with USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender and Olympic champion Rulon Gardner. They will be discussing their wrestling experiences and the efforts being made to save Olympic wrestling both domestically and abroad. Fans can tweet questions using the #USAHangout hashtag.

Bender has been an employee of USA Wrestling for more than 24 years and has been serving as Executive Director of USA Wrestling since February 2001.  Under his direction USA Wrestling has set multiple all-time membership records, increased budgeted revenue and has helped to grow the sport immensely among women and worldwide.  Bender’s latest task is working within the US and internationally to help save Olympic wrestling at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September. 

Gardner is a two-time Olympic medalist who orchestrated one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney when he defeated Russia’s Alexander Karelin for the Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at 130kg.  Karelin was previously undefeated in 13 years of international competition.

Fans can RSVP to the event on the Keep Olympic Wrestling Google+ Page and watch it live on the Keep Olympic Wrestling YouTube Channel and TheMat.com.  Bender and Gardner are the latest of several Olympic wrestlers and leaders who will participate in weekly Google+ Hangouts On Air leading up to the International Olympic Committee’s final vote in September.  Upcoming wrestling personalities who will participate in the weekly hangouts include, FILA President Nenad Lalovic, FILA representative and Olympic gold medalist Daniel Igali, CPOW chairman Bill Scherr, celebrities and more. 

ABOUT CPOW
The Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW) was developed by USA Wrestling, whose mission is to insure that wrestling remains as a core sport of the Olympic Games. CPOW features many highly-respected leaders within the American wrestling, chaired by Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill., a World champion and Olympic medalist in freestyle wrestling and a leader in the Olympic family.

The official website is KeepOlympicWrestling.com. You can find the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/officialkeepwrestlingintheolympics. The official Twitter location is @wrestlingvision.

FILA, the international governing body for wrestling can be found at its official website at http://www.fila-official.com/ and they are on Facebook at @FILA_Official.