Canadian Wrestling Officials Want GSP to Give Olympics a Shot

When I first heard that Georges St Pierre wanted to wrestler in the 2012 Olympics, I thought it was a fun idea that had no real chance of happening. But Canadian wrestling bigwigs seem to think it's realistic.

Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press talked to several wrestling officials who think St. Pierre has the talent and work ethic to have a reasonable shot of qualifying for 2012. And they all seem to want St. Pierre to try their sport, if for no other reason than the publicity it would bring.

Canadian wrestling coach Dave McKay says he'd welcome St. Pierre:

"I think it would be really exciting for our sport to have him in the program. Personally I'd be really excited to see how it does. I think it could only be a positive for wrestling."

Having said that, McKay notes that "Time is not on his side," and says of the kind of preparation St. Pierre would need, "we're not just talking just months, we're talking years."

Others on the Canadian wrestling scene, including the president of Wrestling Canada and the wrestling coach at Simon Fraser University, say St. Pierre can do it, although just qualifying for the Olympics is a tough challenge.

My own view is that St. Pierre is highly unlikely to try it, and highly unlikely to qualify for the Olympics if he does try it. But I admire St. Pierre for wanting to challenge himself with something new.