Wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Focus	Grappling
Olympic sport	Freestyle, Greco-Roman, Judo and Sambo

Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves different grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds. Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sports, and military systems. Wrestling is genuine competition; professional wrestling is athletic theatre.

Wrestling comes in different competitive forms such as freestyle, Greco-Roman, judo, sambo, folkstyle, catch, shoot, luta livre, submission, sumo, pehlwani, shuai jiao, and others.^[1] Wrestling first appeared in the ancient Olympic Games as an event during the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC.^[2] There are a wide range of styles with varying rules, with both traditional historic and modern styles. The term "wrestling" is referenced in late Old English as wræstlunge (glossing palestram).^[3]