Wrestling - London Olympics 2012
Wrestling at London 2012 will pit competitors against each other in head-to-head displays of power, technique and sheer strength.
Key facts
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Sunday 5 – Sunday 12 August 2012
Medal events: 18
Athletes: 344
Recognised as one of the world’s oldest sports, Wrestling was first held at the ancient Olympics in 708 BC, and was included at the Athens 1896 Games, the first of the modern era. Played out on a circular mat, the sport is a battle of nerves, strength and skill, and should provide plenty of drama at ExCeL during London 2012.
Did you know?
Freestyle Wrestling developed in part from Catch as Catch Can, a variety of Wrestling that was popular in the 19th century and at fairs and festivals across the UK and the US.
Before point scoring was introduced, wrestling matches continued until one wrestler was finally forced to the ground.
The longest Wrestling contest in Olympic history occurred at Stockholm in 1912, when a middleweight match between Russia’s Martin Klein and Finland’s Alfred Asikainen went on for an amazing 11 hours.
At Tokyo 1964, Japan’s Osamu Watanabe ended his career undefeated by winning his 186th consecutive match to claim Olympic gold.
The basics
Wrestling is a body-to-body combat sport, with key variations between the styles.
Greco-Roman Wrestling featured at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The organisers hoped it would give a flavour of the Ancient Greek Olympic Games, where the sport had been very popular. In Greco-Roman Wrestling, athletes are only allowed to use their arms and upper bodies to attack their opponents’ upper bodies.
Freestyle Wrestling was introduced at the St Louis 1904 Games. In Freestyle Wrestling, competitors may use all parts of their body to attempt moves and holds on all parts of their opponents’ bodies. Wrestlers aim to pin their opponent to the ground, or to score points by throwing their opponent or taking them down.
The rules in women’s Wrestling, which made its first Olympic appearance in 2004, are similar to those used in men’s Freestyle Wrestling, but with some key variations – for example, double head-locks are forbidden.
Olympic Wrestling, past and present
Eight years after Greco-Roman Wrestling was featured at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, Freestyle Wrestling was introduced at the St Louis 1904 Games. Women’s Wrestling joined the Olympic programme at Athens in 2004.
At London 2012, the Wrestling competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Olympic and Paralympic sports.
How to play – and win
Wrestling is a body-to-body combat sport. The aim is to force the back of the opponent’s shoulders on to the ground. Bouts take place on a mat, and can last for a maximum of three periods of two minutes, with a 30-second break in between. A contest can finish early if a wrestler wins the first two periods or pins his opponent.
There are two styles of Wrestling at the Games: Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Women compete only in the Freestyle event. In Freestyle, competitors can use all parts of their body to attempt moves and holds. In Greco-Roman, use of the legs to make contact and use of the arms below the waist of the opponent are forbidden.
Jargon buster
Body lock: A hold where a wrestler locks arms around the body of his opponent before taking him to the mat.
Bridge: The arched position adopted by a wrestler to prevent his back from touching the mat.
Pin: To force an opponent's shoulders to the mat.
Takedown: To take an opponent from a standing position to the mat.
Get involved
You can start wrestling from the age of eight. The British Wrestling website is the best place to go for all the information you'll need to get started. You can also visit the site of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, the sport’s international governing body.
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