"Both styles of wrestling are practiced all around the world, and both have been instrumental in building the popularity of the modern Olympic Games," said Mankamyer.
Greco-Roman wrestling hs been an Olympic event since the first modern Games in 1896 and freestyle, a more widely practiced version of the sport, has been included in the Games since 1904.
The international wrestling federation (FILA) also opposes recommendations that one of the styles be dropped.
Other sports tipped to be dropped include the three-day event in dquestrianism, the racewalking event in track and field, the modern pentathlon, baseball and softball. Squash has already failed the cut.
"We still want to have 10,500 athletes, 28 sports and 300 events," said the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) president Jacques Rogge. "We want to see if the composition of the programme should be different."
The IOC is scheduled to vote on the proposed elimination of sports, which will not be implemented until the Beijing Games in 2008, next month at its general assembly in Mexico City.
