What is wrestling? Know the rules and history of this game, India hopes for a medal in the Olympics

Wrestling is a sport in which two wrestlers compete in a match where they attempt to knock out their opponent. Shoulder tackles or grapples are used for the purpose of throwing or pinning them to the ground, or otherwise knocking them out during a match.

There are two forms of wrestling in the Olympics, freestyle and Greco-Roman. The rules of both formats of wrestling are almost the same, but the only difference is that in Greco-Roman a wrestler cannot attack or use his legs to hold his opponent below the waist.

With the possible exception of athletics, wrestling is known as the world’s oldest competitive sport.

history of wrestling

Cave paintings of wrestlers dating back to 3000 BC have been found in France and ancient Egypt. The game was used by the ancient Greeks as a way to train soldiers to fight enemies using their hands. The ancient Romans adopted and developed this game with the intention of eliminating some of its shortcomings.

wrestling rules

Wrestling, also known as Pehlwani, is an ancient Indian sport in which two wrestlers meet face to face and attempt to throw each other to the ground by holding the arms and thighs. Here are some wrestling rules:

To move back and forth: Wrestlers have to stand face to face and go back and forth with each other.

Greek’s Roman and Freestyle: Wrestling is divided into two main styles, Greek, Roman and freestyle. In Greco-Roman wrestlers are allowed to take strikes that touch their upper body, whereas in freestyle there are no such restrictions.

Match duration: The duration of wrestling matches varies depending on local decision, but typically Greco-Roman matches last 3 minutes, while freestyle matches last 2 minutes.

scoring system: The wrestler receives points for throwing his opponent onto the background. Scoring systems can take a variety of forms, but generally

Greek to Roman: An opponent gets 1 point for being knocked down on the backdrop and 2 points for being placed on the wrestler’s back.

Freestyle: Under complete control, dropping on the background gives 1 point and dropping on a high place gives 2 points.

Determining the winner: At the end of the match, the wrestler with more points is the winner.

Toss and Sujeet: At the beginning of the match, by doing a toss, one of the wrestlers gets Sujit (win) and he starts the match as per his choice.

Wrestling debut in Olympics

Wrestling first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris, France. In this year, wrestling got a place in the Olympic program, but at this time wrestling was only for men. Women’s involvement in wrestling began in 2004, when women’s wrestling was introduced in Athens, Greece.

India hopeful of medal in Paris 2024 Olympics

Competitions will be held in 18 Indian categories in wrestling at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 6 each in men’s and women’s freestyle and 6 in Greco-Roman wrestling. Let us tell you that lastly Panghal has secured Olympic quota for India with the bronze medal in the World Championship in women’s 53 kg.