Wrestling chief Nenad Lalovic happy after Olympic inclusion but work goes on

Wrestling Federation president Nenad Lalovic refused to bask in the glory of his successful and inspirational seven-month campaign to restore the sport to the Olympic Games roster on Sunday, saying there was lots of work still to be done.

The genial and charismatic Serbian, more a yachtsman than a wrestler though his son represented Serbia in the sport, was speaking after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members had voted to put it back on the programme for the Tokyo 2020 Games and the 2024 edition.

Wrestling -- one of the few sports to have transcended the gap between the ancient and modern Games -- won in the first round receiving 49 of the 95 votes cast.

The joint bid of baseball/softball was second with 24 votes and squash received 22. (Wrestling's stunning recovery is rewarded with Olympic inclusion)

Lalovic has led a vigorous campaign introducing a series of sweeping reforms both technical and on the administrative level since he was elected after his predecessor paid the price for their humiliating dropping from the programme by the IOC Executive Board in February. (Sushil, IOA welcome wrestling's re-inclusion)

Lalovic, who has made it more TV friendly and changed the rules so aggressive rather than passive wrestling is rewarded, had emphasised to the IOC members at the beginning of the presentation how important a day it was for him and the sport.

"It would be an understatement to say that today is the most important day in the 3,000 years of our existence," he said.

"We have made mistakes and we have learnt from them."

Afterwards Lalovic said that the reforms would continue unabated.

"Every sport has to update their sport every day otherwise they will die," he said.

"We cannot stop. Today we are happy but tomorrow we work again.

"We did this in seven months what we have to do in the next three to four years is no different.

"We have to move forward. We have to show the changes we made and also where we want to be in four years."

Lalovic rejected the suggestion that wrestling being restored to the programme contradicted the original concept of only new sports being brought onto the roster while others were voted off.

"This is a new wrestling, the other sports are new sports for the Olympic programme," he said.

"We have updated our sport by introducing new understandable rules which was the only way to reform wrestling."

Lalovic, who had said prior to the vote if wrestling lost he feared not only for the future of the sport but also of social problems in the poorer countries where it is a tradition to wrestle, said curtly he had not appreciated the Executive Board's decision to vote them off.

"No I did not. The job was to modernise our sport and reform our federation," he said.

"We finally found we can change and this is the most valuable experience from this journey if one can call it that."

Thomas Bach and Ng Ser Miang, IOC vice-presidents and members of the Executive Board who are also vying to succeed outgoing IOC president Jacques Rogge on Tuesday, were quick to salute Lalovic and his team's efforts.

"Wrestling represents the tradition of the Olympic Games and the Olympic programme has always to be a balance between tradition and progress," said 59-year-old Bach.

"Wrestling is a pillar of our history and represents tradition like no other sport."

Ng, Singapore's ambassador to Norway, said it was a deserved reward for sterling work.

"Congratulations to the FILA (wrestling federation) team on securing their return to the Olympic programme," Ng said.

"Faced with the tough news that they received from the Executive Board in February this year, FILA set to work revolutionizing itself and the sport of wrestling."