Technical details
Wrestling matches take place on a specially marked mat, which looks like a target.
There is a centre spot and a red one-metre wide band forming a circle of 7m.
Colours mark the competition zones, and wrestlers wear the corresponding blue or
red singlet.
In Greco-Roman style, wrestlers can only attack and hold using their arms and
upper body, in freestyle they can use their legs as well.
Wrestling matches last five minutes unless either wrestler scores a 'fall' or
technical fall. A fall happens when a wrestler pins his opponent down so that
both his shoulders come into contact with the mat. When this happens, the
referee signals that the bout is over.
To win at the end of five minutes, a wrestler must have scored a minimum of
three technical points. If neither wrestler has scored three points, then the
match goes into overtime until the next point is scored, for a maximum of three
minutes. If no point is scored in three minutes then judges decide. If a
wrestler scores 10 points in a bout he is declared winner.
Five facts
1) Wrestling was part of the Ancient Olympic Games.
2) Different types of wrestling have developed all over the world, including
the famous 'Sumo' wrestling in Japan.
3) In the modern Olympic Games there are two styles of wrestling, Greco-Roman
which appeared in the first Games in 1896 and freestyle which was added in
1904.
4) Great Britain won 10 wrestling medals at the 1908 Games in London.
5) In total, Britain has won three golds, three silvers and 10 bronze medals
in wrestling - all in the freestyle category.
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