Dark clouds loom on the horizon for wrestling fans in the USA. While the nation has long been a dominant force on the Olympic stage, the 2024 Paris Games painted a different picture. Team USA secured only two gold medals in wrestling, both won by the women’s squad, while the men’s team delivered a lackluster performance. Adding to the dismay, several former collegiate wrestlers switched allegiances before the tournament. In response, the country’s apex wrestling body is set to introduce a new rule aimed at curbing this trend in the future.

Just before the 33rd Olympics, several current and former NCAA stars revealed they would be competing in the tournament under the flags of their respective native countries. While none of them secured gold in Paris, USA Wrestling (USAW) was displeased to see potential Team USA athletes in opposing camps. In response, the organization has decided to take action to address this issue.

Future NCAA wrestling stars might have to tread carefully

The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo took to X on November 23 to reveal the new guidelines the USA Wrestling is likely to announce in 2025. In a series of posts, Mineo highlighted various details of the USAW’s upcoming changes, to note how those can affect NCAA wrestlers who wish to wave their native country’s flags at international tournaments including the Olympics. “It appears USA Wrestling is out for blood with the new rules surrounding country representation,” reads one of these posts, before sharing shocking aspects of the new rules.

“They want to essentially “fine” athletes if they had a USA Wrestling Card,” notes Mineo’s social media update further. The updates go on to note how the USAW is also trying to veil the fines as something else but isn’t making it obligatory for itself to provide better insights into where the money went. “They are claiming it’s some sort of reimbursement for training in the USA, but don’t and won’t provide an itemized list of how and where these funds were spent on these athletes,” Mineo’s baffled tone isn’t hard to miss.

He also claims that United World Wrestling (UWW) will take a percentage of the athletes’ earnings, with the amount invoiced to the host nations of the wrestlers. To substantiate his claim, Mineo shared screenshots of emails sent to high school wrestler Gabriel Espalin, in which USA Wrestling officials explicitly stated that training fees would not be waived. Given the notable presence of USA-trained athletes representing opposing teams at this year’s Olympics, such an announcement comes as little surprise.

A recent line of migration to opponent squads has irked the USAW

Team USA secured spots in the men’s 57kg and 65kg brackets just days before the Paris Games. Intriguingly, several NCAA-trained athletes had already qualified for their respective countries in these weight classes well before the Americans did. Two-time NCAA champion and Penn State alumnus Roman Bravo-Young competed for Mexico, while former Lehigh standout Darian Cruz proudly represented Puerto Rico in the City of Light. Michigan star Stevan Micic was expected to wrestle for Serbia but ultimately withdrew due to injury concerns.

With so many athletes honing their skills in the USA and then going elsewhere for the Olympics, the USAW naturally was irked by the loophole in the system. The yet-to-be-implemented regulations could put a halt to such issues in the future, but at what cost? What is your take on the country’s apex wrestling authority’s controversial move? Tell us in the comment section below.