Wrestling

I

Introduction

Wrestling, sport in which two contestants try to force each other’s shoulders to the floor, thus scoring a fall and winning the match. Points are awarded for various holds and techniques during the bout, and if neither wrestler can score a fall within the time limit, the competitor with the most points wins. Wrestlers compete in weight classes, which ensure that opponents are approximately the same size and weight. All wrestling matches are supervised by officials, who enforce the rules.

Wrestling is popular throughout the world. There are three basic styles of amateur wrestling. Freestyle and Greco-Roman are contested on the international level. Collegiate-style is specific to North America, where competitions take place at colleges and universities, high schools, and athletic clubs.

The sport of wrestling discussed in this article differs significantly from professional wrestling; for information on that form of entertainment, see Professional Wrestling. To learn about forms of wrestling originating in Asia, see Martial Arts.

II

International Wrestling

At the Olympic Games and world championships, wrestling competitions are held in the freestyle and Greco-Roman styles. These events are governed by the Fédération Internationale de la Lutte Associées (FILA; International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the United States, the governing body for international-style wrestling is USA Wrestling, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In Canada, the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association (CAWA), located in Gloucester, Ontario, governs the sport.

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International wrestling bouts, whether freestyle or Greco-Roman, have two periods of three minutes each. A match is completed if a wrestler scores a fall by pinning the opponent’s shoulders to the mat for enough time that the referee acknowledges the move, or if at the end of regulation, one wrestler has scored more points than the other. If neither wrestler scores at least three points in the six minutes allotted, the wrestlers go into an overtime period of a maximum of three minutes. If neither wrestler has scored three points at the end of the overtime, or if the bout is still tied, the officials determine the winner. The points awarded for the various scoring maneuvers in wrestling are the same in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

A

Freestyle Wrestling

Freestyle is the most popular wrestling style in the world. The rules of freestyle wrestling permit an athlete to use the entire body in competition. (In Greco-Roman, holds below the waist and the use of the legs are not permitted.) The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) long dominated international freestyle competition. In the 1990s the United States became one of the leading freestyle wrestling nations in the world, winning its first-ever team title at the 1993 Freestyle World Championships and claiming another championship in 1995.

Women's freestyle wrestling is a growing sport around the world. A world championship for women was created in the 1980s, and an increasing number of countries field women's wrestling teams each year. In the 1990s Japan emerged as the leading nation in women’s wrestling. The Japanese team claimed the world championship seven times during the decade (1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999).

B

Greco-Roman Wrestling

Greco-Roman wrestling is especially popular in Europe, but it is practiced throughout the world. The distinctive features of Greco-Roman wrestling are that contestants must apply all holds above the waist, and that the use of the legs in scoring or defending is prohibited. Accordingly, tripping, tackling, and using the legs to secure a hold are not permitted. For years the USSR was the world powerhouse in Greco-Roman wrestling, and after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, wrestlers from Russia continued to dominate international competition.

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