BUTLER TWP — While the International Olympic Committee is trying to ride wrestling off the mat, the wrestling community is working hard on the reversal.

On Tuesday, the IOC executive board announced that wrestling would be dropped from the 2020 Games because it had placed low in many of the 39 different criteria. It was selected instead of the frontrunner, the modern pentathlon.

Along with catching the wrestling world off-guard, it struck a nerve as well.

“You have 72 countries with wrestling,” said Butler athletic director Bill Mylan, who competed at Beth-Center High School and Slippery Rock University. “I hate to put a knock on other sports, but wakeboarding and wushu?

“It's totally absurd. Wrestling is one of the oldest sports,” Mylan added.

In May, eight sports — including wrestling — will get to make their pitch in hopes of taking that extra spot open in 2020, which does not have a site.

The other sports are baseball and softball (combined), karate, squash, roller sports and sport climbing.

Wrestling has been on the docket since 1896 for the inaugural games in Greece.

“You go back to 706 B.C. There are hieroglyphics on the walls of rival tribes,” said Tornado coach Scott Stoner. “It's mankind's oldest sport. The Olympics are supposed to be about competition.

“It's man versus man, country against country and non-European countries like Iran, Iraq, Hungary, Bulgaria, its many of these countries' biggest sport,” Stoner added.

Marty Ruley, who is in his 35th year at the helm at Grove City High School, was definitely upset by the ruling.

“That's the only reason why I watch the Olympics,” Ruley said. “The thing that bothers me is they say wrestling doesn't have a following, but then we didn't see it on TV.

“There are countries that have three or four athletes, all in wrestling. If wrestling is gone, they won't have anything.

“This is a viable sport, the oldest sport. Some of these people don't care about tradition,” Ruley added.

Stoner's assistant coach the past three seasons, Fred Powell, has seen wrestling grow not just in the United States, but on the international stage as well.

Powell has done just about everything one can do in wrestling. He won an NCAA championship (123 pounds) while at Lock Haven in 1964, coached an Olympic bronze medalist in Stan Dziedzic at Slippery Rock University and coached a year in Australia.

While coaching at Slippery Rock, Powell won 215 matches in 23 years and won three Division II Eastern Regional titles. He also started the Slippery Rock High program, which became a varsity program in 2000-01.

Powell has also been in attendance for two Olympics: 1972 in Munich and 1976 in Munich — the latter where Dziedzic won his bronze.

“I've witnessed the excitement of wrestling through fans internationally,” said Powell, “with the pride of the Japanese and the intensity of Iran, the dominance of Russian wrestling for many years and finally the U.S. coming to challenge the world in freestyle wrestling.

“I coached a year in Australia and I wrestled in the world championships and I know of the climate.”

“Like many, I'm overwhelmed by the decision. They want to take one sport away instead of one that already has five individual events (the pentathlon has fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting).

“It's a personal thing. It's an embarrassment to the IOC, obviously for political gain,” Powell added.

Stoner agrees that wrestlers worldwide will have to fight the good fight, for the future of the sport.

“With wrestling, we're so proud and we sometimes don't want to worry about the outside, but we don't sell it as well as we should,” said Stoner.

“Part of my job as a coach is to promote the sport. I've been trying to promote it since I've been here in 1993. I do my part and maybe that's why we're where we are at. More of our coaches should do that,” he added.

Knoch coach Mark McLaughlin agrees and looks at the demise of college programs as an example of what could continue to happen.

“Maybe this will serve as a wakeup call,” McLaughlin said. “You look at Slippery Rock and Duquesne and it's gone? Why is it gone? People are not paying attention.”

Two of Stoner's wrestlers, seniors Blake and Korey Caudill also see a sport they've grown to love possibly being removed from its greatest stage.

“I feel like since it's one of the oldest sports, it shouldn't be eliminated,” said Blake. “There are so many positives, there's no reason to cut it.

“People have been sounding off on websites and social media, all getting behind wrestling,” he added.

Said Korey, “There's really no where else to go after college. It's a heartbreaker because you're breaking kids' dreams. Wrestling, boxing and track founded the games.”

Brittney Faust, who wrestled for McLaughlin and is now wrestling at Missouri Valley, sent a text to McLaughlin.

“For a long time, her aspiration was to be an Olympic wrestler,” said McLaughlin. “She's having a banner year this year and all of the sudden, this happens. The plan was for 2020.”

Members of FILA, the international wrestling body, will meet this weekend in Thailand to devise a strategy for global support.

“It's not a done deal as I understand it,” McLaughlin said, “but, however, it is concerning. “It hits home hard here in western Pennsylvania.”

Stoner acknowledges that being in this area has allowed wrestling fans to see some of the best talent in the country, including two that competed in last year's Summer Games.

“Coleman Scott of Waynesburg and Jake Herbert of North Allegheny (who is Faust's cousin) wrestled here in this little gym,” Stoner noted.

Still, wrestling will get to make its case in hopes of appearing in 2020. If not, the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro might be the sport's last go-around for awhile.

“I hope we get enough strength in our country and other countries to battle an ill-fated decision,” Powell said.

“I feel confident they'll bring it back,” said Korey Caudill. “There's so much spirit it has to come back.”