ACOG - Wrestling - IBM

Spectator's Guide to Wrestling - Greco-Roman

Wrestling at the Olympic Games includes two styles – freestyle and Greco-Roman. The basic rules of the styles are identical, with one key exception. Greco-Roman, a wrestler may not attack his opponent's legs, or use his own legs to trip, lift or execute other moves. Wrestlers in the freestyle competition may use both he arms and legs to execute holds or to defend against attack.

The circular wrestling area measures 9m (29 ft 6 in) in diameter. Inside the out-of-bounds line is a red band measuring 1m (3 ft 3 in) wide called the "passivity zone." A wrestler consistently backing into this zone is considered "passive" and will be penalized. If both wrestlers step into the zone with no action in progress, they must return to the center and begin again.

All athletes must be at least 17 years old and be sponsored by their national federation. Only one athlete per nation may compete in each weightclass.

Weight Divisions

Athletes are weighed prior to competition and must be at the weight level or below to enter in the competition. Wrestlers compete in 10 weight classes.

48kg (105.5 lbs)
52kg (114.5 lbs)
57kg (125.5 lbs)
62kg (136.5 lbs)
68kg (149.5 lbs)
74kg 163 lbs)
82kg (180.5 lbs)
90kg (198 lbs)
100kg (220 lbs)
130kg (286 lbs)

The Bout

Each bout consists of one 5-minute period without rest. The match starts with the wrestlers standing on their feet and then they attempt to take down their opponent to score points. The main objective is to pin (also known as a fall) the opponent by holding the shoulder blades to the mat for about one-half of a second – automatically ending the match.

Wrestlers also may win the bout as a result of accumulating more technical points than their opponent during the 5-minute match, however a wrestler must have scored a minimum of 3 points in order to win the bout. One, two, three or five technical points are awarded for various moves, according to the amount of control gained by the move. A fall or a 10-point advantage automatically ends the match.

If neither wrestler has scored 3 points at the end of the match, the bout goes into a 3-minute overtime period. The first wrestler to reach 3 points in overtime is declared the winner. If neither wrestler reaches 3 points by the end of the overtime, the winner is determined by the officials.

Bouts also may go into overtime if the score is tied at the end of the 5-minute match. Tied bouts continue for a 3-minute overtime period where the first wrestler to score wins the match. If no winner is determined at the end of overtime, the officials decide the winner.

There are three officials for each match – a referee, a chairman and a judge. To score a point or fall, a wrestler must be credited for the move by at least two of the officials.

Scoring Terms

Takedown: taking the opponent to the mat from a standing position. Worth 1 point but can be worth more if brought down to back.

Exposure: turning shoulders to the mat. Once the line of the back area breaks a 90-degree angle, points are scored; holding an opponent in this position in a danger position for 5 seconds, receiving an extra point.

Reversal: the wrestler underneath completely reverses his position and becomes in control in the top position. Worth one point.

Escape: when a wrestler works his way from the bottom position, after being under dominant control, and gets to his feet, facing his rival. Worth 1 point.

Penalty Calls

Illegal hold without consequence – 1 point plus caution

Illegal hold with consequence – 2 points

Scoring

1 Point for:

  • Taking the opponent down - 3 support points of the defensive wrestler must be touching the mat (two arms or hands and one knee, or two knees and one hand or arm).

  • Reversal of control, when the wrestler underneath comes out on top.

  • Turning the opponent toward his back with his weight supported by one arm or both arms, without his head, shoulder or elbow touching the mat.

  • Superior execution of a throw that does not score. This is called an "appreciation point."

  • Taking a hold and driving an opponent out-of-bounds while attempting a takedown.

  • A counter that stops the opponent's throw and results in a takedown.

  • The penalty for fleeing the mat, or the penalty for an illegal hold which fails to keep the opponent from scoring.

  • Hand-to-hand contact in certain moves.

    2 Points for:

  • Exposing the opponent's back past 90 degrees (called the danger position) when the wrestlers are in par terre.

  • A throw to the mat from the standing position, when the defensive man lands on his buttocks or side, and then is forced over into the danger position.

  • A counter that stops the opponent's throw and results in a takedown directly into the danger position.

  • The penalty for an illegal hold which keeps the opponent from scoring.

  • The penalty for an illegal hold used to keep from being pinned.

  • Turning the opponent toward his back with his weight supported by one arm or both arms, with his head, shoulder or elbow touching the mat.

  • The opponent receives 2 points when one's own shoulders touch the mat. Some throws and/or rolls will score points for both wrestlers.

    3 Points for:

  • A high amplitude lift and throw from a standing position or from a lift from par terre which does not take the opponent to his back.

  • Any hold applied from the standing position that takes an opponent to an immediate danger position on the mat, without meeting the criteria for high amplitude.

    5 Points for:

  • A high amplitude throw from the standing position or from a lift from par terre that places an opponent in a position of immediate danger. The throw must be a high, sweeping action that exposes the opponent's back to the mat. The high amplitude throw is the most spectacular maneuver in wrestling.

    The Bracket

    First round bouts are determined by the drawing of lots during weigh-in. There is no pre-tournament seeding of the athletes, so it's not unusual to have top medal contenders facing each other in the early rounds. Winning wrestlers in the preliminary round advance to the winners bracket (Group A) while losing wrestlers drop into the losers bracket (Group B). A wrestler losing two bouts is eliminated from the tournament.

    The winner of Group A receives the gold medalist while the runner-up finisher earning the silver medal. The winner of Group B wins the bronze medal. The seventh through 10th-place finishers are determined by a point system.

    This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.


    Olympic Factoid
    Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.