Wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Just like Greeks used to do except with clothes on

Nine days of the Olympics have passed without any wrestling, but over the final 7 days we’ll see a whopping 18 gold medals awarded. Wrestling has been a part of the modern Olympics since 1900 and draws inspiration from the ancient Greek Olympics.

The Basics

There are two Olympic wrestling disciplines, each with its own rules. In Greco-Roman wrestling, a competitor can only use his arms and upper body to attack his opponent above the waist. Freestyle wrestling is a much more open form of the sport in which competitors also use their legs and can hold opponents above or below the waist.

However, the objective is the same in both styles. Contested on a circular combat area, a bout consists of two three-minute periods. Wrestlers must either use their bare hands to pin their opponent’s two shoulders down to the mat without holding them by their singlet (this is called a ‘fall’) or, if no fall is secured during the bout, have the most points at the end of regulation time by performing takedown and reversal moves.

The Format

This Olympic sport has the most extreme gender imbalance. There are 12 men’s events, and 6 women’s events. That’s because women and men both compete in Freestyle (6 events each) but men are the only ones who compete in Greco-Roman. Here are the weight classes.

MEN (Greco-Roman)

57kg and under (125lbs and under)

65kg (143lbs)

74kg (163lbs)

86kg (189lbs)

97kg (213lbs)

125kg (275lbs)

MEN (Freestyle)

60kg and under (132lbs and under)

67kg (148lbs)

77kg (169lbs)

87kg (191lbs)

97kg (213lbs)

130kg (286lbs)

WOMEN (Freestyle)

50kg and under (110lbs and under)

53kg (116lbs)

57kg (125lbs)

62kg (136lbs)

68kg (150lbs)

76kg (167lbs)

The event starts with 16 wrestlers. Countries can only enter 1 wrestler per event. The United States has the most entries with 16/18 possible events, followed by China (13) and Japan (13). The event proceeds as a single elimination bracket. It follows the same format as Judo where quarterfinal losers face each other in a repechage round. The winners of those repechage battles face the loser of the semifinals in two separate bronze medal bouts. That means there are 36 bronze medals awarded over 18 events.

What Countries are Historically Dominant?

Here is the medal table since 2008:

#1 Russia (20 gold, 6 silver, 10 bronze)

#2 Japan (15 gold, 7 silver, 4 bronze)

#3 United States (8 gold, 2 silver, 10 bronze)

#4 Iran (6 gold, 3 silver, 7 bronze)

#5 Azerbaijan (2 gold, 7 silver, 13 bronze)

Countries rounding out the top ten are Cuba, Georgia, Turkiye, China, and Ukraine.

Schedule

August 5th: Men’s Greco-Roman 60kg + Men’s Greco-Roman 130kg + Women’s 68kg: Round of 16 & Quarterfinal & Semifinal

August 6th: Men’s Greco-Roman 77kg + Men’s Greco-Roman 97kg + Women’s 50kg: Round of 16 & Quarterfinal & Semifinal — Men’s Greco-Roman 60kg + Men’s Greco-Roman 130kg + Women’s 68kg bronze medal bouts & final

August 7th: Men’s Greco-Roman 67kg + Men’s Greco-Roman 87kg + Women’s 53kg: Round of 16 & Quarterfinal & Semifinal — Men’s Greco-Roman 77kg + Men’s Greco-Roman 97kg + Women’s 50kg bronze medal bouts & final

August 8th: Men’s Freestyle 57kg + Men’s Freestyle 87kg + Women’s 57kg: Round of 16 & Quarterfinal & Semifinal — Men’s Greco-Roman 67kg + Men’s Greco-Roman 87kg + Women’s 53kg bronze medal bouts & final

August 9th: Men’s Freestyle 74kg + Men’s Freestyle 125kg + Women’s 62kg: Round of 16 & Quarterfinal & Semifinal — Men’s Freestyle 57kg + Men’s Freestyle 87kg + Women’s 57kg bronze medal bouts & final

August 10th: Men’s Freestyle 65kg + Men’s Freestyle 97kg + Women’s 76kg: Round of 16 & Quarterfinal & Semifinal — Men’s Freestyle 74kg + Men’s Freestyle 125kg + Women’s 62kg bronze medal bouts & final

August 11th: Men’s Freestyle 65kg + Men’s Freestyle 97kg + Women’s 76kg bronze medal bouts & final