LOS ANGELES (AP) — American Jordan Oliver had a late takedown to beat Russia’s Magomed Kurbanaliev in the opening match Sunday in United 4 Wrestling, a three-team exhibition at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
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The matches were conducted using rule changes approved a day earlier in Moscow by the sport’s governing body in a bid to keep wrestling in the Olympics beyond 2016. Under the changes, matches are now made up out of two three-minute sessions instead of three two-minute periods, and scoring is cumulative instead of the previous two-out-of-three system.
The International Olympic Committee removed wrestling as one of the core sports in February. It is now one of eight sports competing for an open slot at the 2020 Games.
The United States, Russia and Canada competed Sunday, with Canada a late replacement after Iran pulled out Friday.
