Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling

History of Wrestling

Wrestling first appeared at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens and has been included at every subsequent Games except Paris 1900.

At the 1908 London Games, athletes competed in both styles; at Stockholm 1912, the wrestling programme featured Greco-Roman wrestling.

The first medals in women’s wrestling were awarded at Athens 2004.

These disciplines remain part of the Summer Olympic programme.

Eighteen medal events are contested in wrestling.

Rules of Wrestling

Wrestling is a contest between two unarmed athletes using a defined range of techniques.

The objective is to pin the opponent’s shoulders to the mat or win on points. A bout may take place standing or on the mat; striking is prohibited.

The main wrestling styles are:

Greco-Roman wrestling, in which holds below the waist, trips and active use of the legs to execute techniques are prohibited;

freestyle wrestling, in which leg holds, trips and active use of the legs are permitted;

women’s wrestling, in which double Nelson holds are strictly prohibited.

Wrestling in Kazakhstan

Freestyle wrestling began developing as a sport in Kazakhstan in 1955.

M. Mamyrov achieved notable success as a bronze medallist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 1998 World Championships.

The Kazakhstan Federation of Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Women’s Wrestling develops the sport, holds national championships and supports international participation. Kazakhstani athletes also competed in Soviet tournaments; K. Baidosov and Zh. Iskakov won medals at the 1956 Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.