Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports and was part of military training for the Greeks . It was part of 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 remained popular. At the first modern Olympic Games , the sport, in the form of Greco-Roman wrestling, was immediately on the program. In 1904, a second variant, 'free' wrestling was introduced to the Olympiad.
The goal is identical in both: two opponents try to throw each other to the ground and press each other with their shoulders using holds and techniques. The difference between the two disciplines is that in free wrestling holds below the hips are allowed and the legs may also be used, in Greco-Roman wrestling this is not allowed. Moreover, this last 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 the wrestling moves, such as arm or leg locks, requires years of training. In addition to technique, athletes also train their muscle strength to break free from the opponent's grips or to maintain control over the opponent themselves. During the wrestling matches, there is a competition management consisting of a mat judge, referee, three scorers and three jury members.
As the match progresses, the participants will receive points for things like good holds, attacks and throws. The match is won when the opponent is pressed to the mat with both shoulders for more than five seconds or when a participant has a lead of 12 points. If there has been wrestling for six minutes and there is still 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 competitor loses twice, he is eliminated. The winners of both groups compete against each other for gold and silver. The runners-up of the groups compete against each other for bronze.
For each grip you get a number of points (1, 2, 3 or 5 points). So 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 (if the regulatory time has expired the points count)
- By exclusion or surrender of the opponent
The winning and losing wrestler are awarded the following match points respectively:
- 5 : 0 at touché
- 5:0 in case of victory due to opponent's withdrawal due to injury
- 5:0 in case of disqualification for 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 a win with technical advantage (6 points difference during two periods), but the loser has scored at least 1 technical point
- 3:0 for points win in two of the three periods without technical point for the loser
- 3:1 for points win 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
