The IOC - Wrestling with the appeal of Wrestling

The IOC & FILA - Wrestling with the appeal of Wrestling & The 10 Rules of Re-launch

The International Olympic Committee left wrestling out of the 2020 Olympic Games event programme following a meeting of the organisation’s executive board earlier this year in February in which all 26 sports were reviewed. Due to a cost cutting exercise to reduce the number of events and numbers of athletes competing at Summer Games the number of core sports were reduced to 25 and wrestling, a sport that has been in the Olympic Games since 708 BC...was dropped.

Apart from cost cutting reasons, the main reason wrestling was dropped has to be popularity. The IOC assessed each sport by looking at such factors as TV ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping and global popularity coupled with 39 other criteria including youth appeal, universality, popularity, good governance, respect for athletes and respect for the Olympic values. I believe wrestling was failing several of these criteria.

The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) were shocked at the decision, stated a vote of no confidence in its President, Mr. Raphaël Martinetti, and subsequently appointed Nenad Lalovic to overhaul the sport.

What happened next was a cracking relaunch effort, published publicly and swiftly - 2 major plus points already; and he kicked off with lessons 1 & 2 - "be open, act swiftly". Also for the first time ever he invited the media to cover the conference.

Lesson 3 was empowerment - During his acceptance speech, Lalovic gave all of those at the FILA Congress a small gift. He said that the person in that envelope would be responsible for putting the changes in wrestling into effect. The gift was a small mirror.

He delivered the message with passion and commitment to make a difference (4) and, with immediate effect he changed the rules (5) to increase appeal because no-one understood them.

Lessons 6 & 7 were inclusion & equality  - he set in place a constitution to include more women and more current and former athletes to have a say on the future of the sport.

He also placed a very clear emphasis on the consumer (8) with marketing, sponsorship, PR and broadcast - especially the latter in terms of televising the sport and broadening its appeal to younger people. There will also be greater focus on the hero's and heroines of the sport to create global ambassadors (9).

Lesson 10 is very simple - he just got on with it. No messing, no fussing, just very clear action.

In summary, he set a very clear direction, defined the objective and sold the vision with a time-bound agenda; he included the key stakeholders and informed everyone they had a part to play. He acted with passion and commitment and set clear leadership standards for others to follow; and he executed with excellence. Bravo!!

Wrestling was competing with seven other sports for one single space, but following a vote in Russia the three remaining sports are now squash, roller sports and baseball/softball.

With Roger Federer supporting squash we will wait and see who wins the final spot but personally I believe the sport will be re-included when the IOC meets in Buenos Aries in September. 

For a sport that has been in Olympic existence since 708 BC I think it would be a crying shame not to include it. 

"Time to Lance The Boil of Doping?". The Livestrong Legend of Lance Armstrong will be tested

"Time to Lance The Boil of Doping?"

The Livestrong Legend of Lance Armstrong will be tested

"The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen." This is how Travis Tygart, USADA chief executive, labelled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the US Postal Service/Discovery team that Armstrong once led.

Given the years of denial the interview will be incredible. Have a look at The Telegraph montage.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/lancearmstrong/article9601294.ece#ooid=t5a2g1NjrZl_3gU52zvKkYi7z6DQbrd5

By now Lance Armstrong has given his exclusive, “no holds barred” “no questions off-limits” 90 minute interview to Oprah Winfrey, due to be broadcast on Winfrey's OWN network and live-streamed online from 21:00 EST on Thursday 17 January (02:00 GMT on Friday in the UK) Jan 18.

“No holds barred” Really?!!!!

In a text to the AP on Saturday, Armstrong said: "I told her (Winfrey) to go wherever she wants and I'll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That's all I can say."

After recording the interview on Monday, Winfrey tweeted: "Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong. More than 2 1/2 hours . He came READY!"

Surely not?! Rehearsed?! Shocked! I don’t think that his lawyer, Tim Herman, would have allowed his client to have a comfy sofa chat with Oprah in his home in Austin, Texas given that Armstrong has a decade of libel cases and is currently being sued by The Sunday Times, SCA Promotions, and potentially the US Department of Justice, donors to Livestrong Foundation, and the Tour de France. Given that he has lost his sponsors Nike, Trek and Budweiser he is down to date by about £13m.

He could also face perjury charges if he openly confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs, because he made sworn testimony in a 2005 court case that he had never done so. Someone turn the fan on and get the tissues out. This will be a weepy, heartfelt confession of pain and anguish, of “everyone else was doing it, we were just better”.

So why give the interview? Rumours of him wanting to run for governor of Texas to him just wanting to compete again in marathons and triathlons abound.

What is certain is that his commercial and brand worth is zero and this is an opportunity to be selective with the truth, tell a fantastic story, and re-build brand Armstrong. Typically called a “re-launch”.

Everyone else does it nowadays so why not?

However it is tough to do when you start with a level of arrogance seen in his tweet of 10 Nov 2012: “Back in Austin and just layin' around...” with this picture.

When you examine the litany of accusations in the USADA report below, what is evident is that Armstrong is hugely mentally and physically driven, a fighter, a cunning manipulator, strategic and a maverick. There is no doubt he has been well rehearsed and that his questions will have been agreed and prepped in advance…we live in a PR driven, rehearsed, social media and celebrity brand age.

Armstrong USADA report key claims

Achievements of USPS/Discovery Channel pro cycling accomplished through the most sophisticated, professional and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen

Armstrong's career at the team was fuelled from start to finish by doping

More than a dozen former team-mates, friends and former team employees confirm a fraudulent course of conduct

Armstrong acted with the help of a small army of enablers, including doping doctors, drug smugglers and others within and outside the sport and his team

He had ultimate control over not only his own personal drug use but over the doping culture of the team

Team staff were good at predicting when testers would turn up and seemed to have inside information
Evidence is beyond strong and as strong as any case ever brought by Usada

USADA's key claims accompany allegations of bribery by Armstrong offering the USADA a donation “In excess of £150,000.” for new doping testing equipment, also confirmed by Armstrong’s lawyer, Tim Herman; along with another £62,000 donated to the International Cycling Union - now the subject of an internal bribery investigation.

In the words of another former cycling drug cheat Matt de Canio "He (Armstrong) is basically going to do and say anything that will mean that you can still buy a candy bar with his face on it or a bicycle that he endorses."

Armstrong can and will turn his brand around….Look at Bill Clinton. Americans have a wonderful sense of forgiveness that if someone is contrite enough then let them re-build their American dream.

Personally I cannot wait for Friday 2am UK time.....it will be epic.

Look out for Lance Armstrong in 5 years time as governor of Texas and winning triathlons.

At least he gets to keep the Tour de France yellow maillot in his home museum.