
Matt Payne
Becoming only the 10th U.S. city to host trials for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team, Fort Worth is to welcome the event to Dickies Arena on April 2 – 3.
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling was initially slated to be held in Pennsylvania at Penn State University but relocated to an alternative venue due to a variety of factors, including COVID-19.
“We take great pride in hosting world-class sporting events at Dickies Arena,” Matt Homan, president and general manager of Trail Drive Management Corp., the not-for-profit operating entity of Dickies Arena, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to safely welcome USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee as they host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials this April.”
While Dickies Arena alongside USA Wrestling will be permitting spectators at limited attendance, ticket information has not yet been released.
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, Japan from July 23 – Aug. 8, 2021 with wrestling events to take place Aug. 1-7.
The competition at the Tokyo Games will be held in the 18 Olympic weight classes in wrestling, divided among men’s freestyle, women’s wrestling, and Greco-Roman. The U.S. has currently qualified to compete at 15 of the 18 weight classes, with only three weight classes remaining to qualify – 77 kg Greco-Roman, 130 kg Greco-Roman, and 65 kg men’s freestyle.
“We are excited for not only the wrestling fans all over the globe, but, most importantly, our nation’s very best Olympic hopefuls who will compete on this world-class stage for the coveted right to represent the United States of America at the Tokyo Olympic Games,” Rich Bender, USA Wrestling executive director, said in a statement. “No event in our sport provides more drama and emotion than the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and this year’s event will be no exception.”