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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling were recently |
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dropped from the Summer Games as of 2020 in a stunning decision by |
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the International Olympic Committee; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the earliest and most elemental Olympic |
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sports, wrestling made its first appearance at the ancient Olympic |
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Games in 708 B.C. and has been part of modern Olympic competition |
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since 1896; the sport is well-established in the athletic culture |
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of the United States, which has won 124 Olympic medals over the |
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years; and |
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas is home to thousands of young |
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wrestlers, many of whom advance to national and international |
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competition; some 350 high school programs represent more than |
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10,000 athletes, and over 400 wrestling clubs engage more than |
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4,000 children from ages 6 to 14; in addition, numerous college |
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athletes compete for The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M |
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University, and other institutions; and |
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WHEREAS, From November to May each year, Texas hosts hundreds |
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of local and regional meets, including qualifiers to national |
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competition; these events have a positive impact on the state's |
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economy, and the prospect of participating athletes reaching the |
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Olympics contributes significantly to the vitality of these |
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tournaments; and |
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WHEREAS, The removal of wrestling from the Olympic Games will |
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have an adverse effect on the sport while diminishing the global |
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appeal of the games themselves and eroding an important link to |
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their earliest history; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby express its opposition to the decision of the |
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International Olympic Committee to omit freestyle and Greco-Roman |
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wrestling from the Olympic Games beginning in 2020; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward an official copy of |
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this resolution to the International Olympic Committee. |