By Nick Butler at The Hilton in Buenos Aires

FILA President Nenad LalovicAugust 30 - International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) President Nenad Lalovic will lead a five person presentation team as part of wrestling's final bid to retain his place on the Olympic programme. 


Wrestling will be vying with squash and a combined baseball/softball bid for the one slot in a vote which will be held here on September 8 as part of the 125th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session

The same five person line up has been put forward as that which successfully appeared at the IOC Executive Board meeting at St Petersburg in May when the final shortlist of three sports was decided.

Lalovic will be joined by two former Olympic champions, Canadians Daniel Igali and Carol Huynh, along with another former medallist, France's Lise Legrand.

The line-up will be completed by the former head of the United States Olympic Committee Jim Scherr, who competed as a wrestler at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. 

Daniel Igali pictured on the way to a gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games is part of the final presentation teamDaniel Igali pictured on the way to a gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games is part of the final presentation team



Igali won gold for Canada in the under 69kg freestyle event at Sydney 2000 and is now President of the Nigerian Wrestlng Federation, while Huynh won the under 48 kilogram division at Beijing 2008 and followed with a bronze last year at London 2012.

Legrand won under 63kg bronze at the Athens Games in 2004 and is currently vice-president of the French Wrestling Federation.

She also represented FILA at the IOC Athletes' Forum this summer.

Lalovic was delighted to announce this all star team and believes that the final presentation will highlight "all of the great work the FILA Bureau and Olympic wrestling fans and supporters have done over the last seven months".

Images like these have been circulated as part of wrestlings campaign to highlight the global appeal of the sportImages like these have been circulated as part of wrestling's campaign to highlight the global appeal of the sport


Lalovic added: "I am pleased to announce our team for the final presentation today and I am especially grateful that this team, that has already represented the sport of wrestling so well, will be able to make the trip to Buenos Aires for this historic moment." 

"It will also explain to the IOC why the version of wrestling they will witness in 2020 is new, exciting and modern."

FILA have also issued a special edition brochure to summarise its case for remaining on the Olympic programme in a latest effort to build late momentum ahead of the decision being made.

It has reinforced the key campaigning message that wrestling is a pure, evolving and accessible sport which was an original and integral part of the Olympic movement and that it remains popular today across the globe.