ACOG - News - IBM

(20 July 1996; Day 1)

Even the Olympic Games Can't Break Up Wrestling's "Family"

The excitement builds upon entering the Georgia World Congress Center and taking the long walk down the hall to the wrestling venue.

The Olympic Games is wrestling's Mecca. It is at this time every four years that the sport's stars finally get the glory that they've worked for the previous four years in relative obscurity.

In some ways, though, it's difficult to tell the difference between the Olympic Games and a local wrestling tournament one might go to any Saturday in the spring. It's more like attending a family reunion.

The regulars from the wrestling world are well represented. Mat officials, pairers, and media from around the world who ply their trade in during the international-style season are in attendance. However, not in the capacity they usually serve.

The mat official usually seen dressed in a white uniform from head to toe has exchanged it for safari attire. For the next week or so he'll be standing outside waiting to check the credential of each person entering his passageway. Others proudly escort the Olympic Games competitors to their assigned mat.

Announcers Ed ALIVERTI and Sandy STEVENS are familiar not only to wrestling fans and competitors in the United States as the announcers at college championships but they're familiar to virtually every athlete competing, regardless of his native country. They pronounce every wrestler's name and country with accuracy and precision, give play-by-play of the matches, describing in full detail each move and the points earned, all the while carrying on a running public-relations campaign for what ALIVERTI, a high-school choral music director from the Seattle, Washington area, constantly calls "the world's oldest and greatest sport."

In the background, a song playing over the sound system encourages competitors to "take it to the danger zone." That's what the mat is in wrestling where the best and worst can happen.

Even many of the fans are the same ones found in those hot, sweaty high-school gyms on Saturdays. Wrestling is in their blood. They'll go to see wrestling anywhere, anytime.

The Olympic Games, however, also brings many fans to the arena who never have seen wrestling, especially at such a high level. Some of them will be hooked and become new diehards. And the cycle goes on.

In the year 2000, it will be Sydney, Australia's turn to host the block party. Invitations are pending.


This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Betty Posey.



Olympic Factoid
An estimated 5.3 million visted Centennial Olympic Park between opening day - 13 July - and closing day - 4 August, making the park the most single most visited Olympic site during the Games.