Polish wrestler to return 1980 Olympic medal

Published March 7, 2013 at 2:17 pm

In this Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 file photo Amer Hrustanovic of Austria competes against Damian Janikowski of Poland, in blue, during the 84-kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, in London. An official familiar with the decision says IOC leaders have dropped wrestling from the program for the 2020 Olympics. In a surprise decision Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013, the official tells The Associated Press that the IOC executive board decided to retain modern pentathlon and remove wrestling instead.

Photo by AP

WARSAW, Poland — A Polish wrestler says he is returning his Olympic medal in protest over the sport's proposed removal from the program of the 2020 Games.

Andrzej Supron, who won silver in the Greco-Roman lightweight division at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, says he is “surprised and outraged by the suggestion to remove this ancient sport from the games.”

He says he is sending the medal back to IOC President Jacques Rogge.

Supron is also a former world and European champion.

Last month, seven-time world champion Valentin Yordanov of Bulgaria returned his gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Wrestling is now competing with seven proposed new sports for a spot on the 2020 program. The final decision will be made by the IOC in September.