Wrestling is one of the oldest martial arts and was part of military training among the Greeks. It belonged to the classical Olympic Games and was one of the top events. The Romans later adopted the sport in a less violent form in the arenas and wrestling continued to maintain its popularity. The sport, in the form of Greco-Roman wrestling, was immediately on the program at the first modern Olympic Games. In 1904, a second variant, 'free' wrestling, was introduced during the Olympiad.
The goal is identical for both: two opponents try to throw each other to the ground and press each other to the ground with their shoulders using grips and techniques. The difference between the two disciplines is that in free wrestling, grips below the hips are allowed and the legs can also be used, but in Greco-Roman wrestling this is not allowed. Moreover, the latter sport is only allowed for men, while women do have their own Olympic competition in free wrestling.
Wrestling at the Olympics
During the Olympic Games, athletes are divided into seven weight categories (four for women). A wrestler must have muscle strength, technique and flexibility. Learning wrestling holds, such as arm or leg locks, requires years of training. In addition to technique, the athletes also train their muscle strength to break free from the opponent's grasp or to maintain control over the opponent. In wrestling matches there is a competition management consisting of a mat judge, referee, three scorers and three judges.
As the match progresses, participants will receive points for, for example, good grips, attacks and throws. The match is won if the opponent is pressed with both shoulders against the mat for more than five seconds or if a participant has a lead of 12 points. If six minutes of wrestling have been completed and there is no winner, the wrestler with the most points is declared the winner.
Rules of Wrestling
During tournaments, wrestlers are divided into two groups. If a participant loses twice, he is eliminated. The winners from both groups compete against each other for gold and silver. The numbers two in the groups compete against each other for bronze.
For each grip you receive a number of points (1, 2, 3 or 5 points). You can win in the following ways:
- By flooring (both shoulders of the opponent pressed against the mat)
- By majority of points (if the difference is 12 points or more)
- By points (when the regulation time has expired the points count)
- By excluding or giving up the opponent
The winning and losing wrestlers will be awarded the following match points respectively:
- 5:0 at touch
- 5:0 in victory due to opponent's withdrawal due to injury
- 5:0 in case of disqualification due to violation of the regulations
- 4:0 in case of victory with technical superiority (6 points difference during two periods) and the loser has not scored a point<
- 4:1 for victory with technical superiority (6 points difference during two periods), but loser has scored at least 1 technical point
- 3:0 for a points victory in two of the three periods without a technical point for the loser
- 3:1 for points victory in two of the three periods, but loser has at least 1 technical point
- 0:0 if both wrestlers are disqualified for violation of the rules
