DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says 9,000 people have signed an online petition aimed at keeping wrestling in the Olympics.

Branstad launched the petition drive last week at the state high school wrestling tournament after the International Olympic Committee decided to remove the sport from the Olympic Games in 2020.

The governor gave the newest count of online petitioners from the Let's Keep Wrestling campaign website at a news conference Monday.

The move to end wrestling at the Olympics surprised many because the sport had been part of the Olympics for more than a century.