Spotlight Sport - Wrestling

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Gateway to the Summer Games - Spotlight Sport

Wrestling
Of the two styles of wrestling, "Greco-Roman" and "freestyle," Greco-Roman is the classic form, the style of wrestling practiced by the ancient Greeks. Although differences in techniques are numerous, the most obvious is that Greco-Roman is confined to upper-body grappling. Freestyle, by contrast, involves the entire body, and leg attacks are permitted.

Europeans tend to favor the Greco-Roman classical style, while North America's best wrestlers are attracted to the freestyle. United States collegiate wrestling, for example, is very similar to international freestyle. Today, the training and techniques of each style are so specialized that most wrestlers concentrate on one style or the other.


		Rules \| Judging \| News, History, Fast Facts All About Athletes \| More Sports

Rules
The goal of wrestling is to "pin" an opponent within a nine-meter circle marked out on a 12-square-meter mat. The pin is comparable to a knockout in boxing, constituting an automatic victory. It is accomplished when one wrestler holds both of his opponent's shoulders to the mat for a half-second. If no pin occurs, the victory goes to the wrestler who has gained the most points during the five-minute round. The match ends earlier if one of the wrestlers builds a lead of 10 points.

Judging
A bout is controlled by four officials: mat chairman, judge, referee, and timekeeper. The referee oversees all action on the mat. Although no penalty points are subtracted for an illegal throw or hold, a wrestler may be disqualified for any move posing a physical danger to his opponent, such as choking, hitting, kicking, or biting.

News, History, and Fast Facts

For complete information about playing, coaching, and watching wrestling, visit the Copernicus Education Gateway's School Athletic Center: Wrestling page.
Stay on top of the wrestling news with CBS Sportline's Olympics 2000 site or pin down the history of wrestling as an Olympic event.
NBCOlympics.com contains feature articles about the U.S. freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling teams and a handy reference guide to get you through the days ahead in Sydney.
Olympic wrestling is quite different than the stunts you might see "Stone Cold" Steve Austin perform. The USOC site hits the mat with all the rules, history, and current headlines on headlocks. Also, watch a wrestling movie.
The Sydney 2000 page about wrestling has everything from news, schedules, rules, and a glossary to easy-to-understand explanations just for kids.
To find out more about international amateur wrestling, visit the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) Web site.

All About Athletes

NBCOlympics.com features personal stories from wrestlers who discuss their thoughts about facing the best wrestlers in the world.
Research all of the gold medal winners in freestyle or Greco-Roman wrestling.

More Sports

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General Sports Links
Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this summer. Even though Gateway to the Summer Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.

Griffin Publishing Group's Official Olympic Sports page
For information straight from the source, click on a sport to connect to its organization's official Web site.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News
This site provides excellent information about Olympic sports and their rules. It also sizes up the best international competitors.
CBS Sportsline's Olympics 2000
Get top news stories and in-depth features about every sport.
CCN/SI
In addition to news on every sport, this site contains athlete diaries.
NBCOlympics.com
Select a sport to study or hear firsthand from an athlete who plays it.
Sydney 2000
The official site of the Sydney Olympics covers the events in detail.
Sydney 2000 Kids' Guide to Olympic Sports
Visit the Sportzone for sports-related information written especially for young students.
USOC
The United States Olympic Committee site includes the rules and history of events as well as athlete bios, diaries, and chats.
Sydney 2000 Fans
This unofficial site provides basic description of events and useful links to more information.

Portions of the above text were excerpted from Share the Olympic Dream--Volume II.
(c) 1995 by Griffin Publishing Group/United States Olympic Committee.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.