Wrestling at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wrestling at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | UWW |
| Events | 18 (men: 12; women: 6) |
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Wrestling is a very old sport that has been part of the Olympic Games for a long time. It first appeared at the very first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Back then, only Greco-Roman wrestling was included. Since then, wrestling has been in almost every Summer Olympics. The only time it wasn't included was in 1900.
Freestyle wrestling was added later, along with different weight classes for wrestlers, at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Women's freestyle wrestling is a newer addition, first appearing at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
In 2013, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to remove wrestling from the Olympics. This caused a lot of upset! The main group for wrestling, FILA (now called United World Wrestling), saw its leader resign. After some changes, like new rules to make matches more exciting and adding more women's events, wrestling successfully got back into the Olympic program for the 2016 Games and beyond.
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Wrestling Through the Years at the Olympics
Wrestling has been a key part of the Olympics for many years. Different styles of wrestling have been added over time. Greco-Roman wrestling has been around since 1896. Men's freestyle wrestling joined in 1904, and women's freestyle wrestling started in 2004.
This table shows which country was the best at wrestling at each Olympic Games, combining all wrestling styles.
| Games | Year | Events | Best Nation | |
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| 1 | 1896 | 1 |  Germany |
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| 2 | ||||
| 3 | 1904 | 7 |  United States |
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| 4 | 1908 | 9 |  Great Britain |
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| 5 | 1912 | 5 |  Finland |
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| 6 | ||||
| 7 | 1920 | 10 |  Finland |
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| 8 | 1924 | 13 | Finland |
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| 9 | 1928 | 13 | Finland |
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| 10 | 1932 | 14 |  Sweden |
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| 11 | 1936 | 14 | Sweden |
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| 12 | ||||
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| 14 | 1948 | 16 |  Turkey |
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| 15 | 1952 | 16 |  Soviet Union |
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| 16 | 1956 | 16 |  Soviet Union |
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| 17 | 1960 | 16 | Turkey |
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| 18 | 1964 | 16 |  Japan |
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| 19 | 1968 | 16 | Japan |
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| 20 | 1972 | 20 | Soviet Union |
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| 21 | 1976 | 20 | Soviet Union |
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| 22 | 1980 | 20 | Soviet Union |
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| 23 | 1984 | 20 |  United States |
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| 24 | 1988 | 20 | Soviet Union |
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| 25 | 1992 | 20 |  Unified Team |
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| 26 | 1996 | 20 | Russia |
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| 27 | 2000 | 16 | Russia |
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| 28 | 2004 | 18 | Russia |
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| 29 | 2008 | 18 | Russia |
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| 30 | 2012 | 18 | Russia |
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| 31 | 2016 | 18 | Russia |
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| 32 | 2020 | 18 |  Japan |
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Why Wrestling Was Almost Removed (and How It Came Back)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wanted to make the Summer Olympics more modern and control costs. They looked at all the sports for the 2016 Summer Olympics to decide which ones would be in the 2020 Summer Olympics (which happened in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). One spot was left open for a new sport.
In February 2013, the IOC decided to remove wrestling from the Olympics. Some reasons given were that there weren't many famous wrestlers known worldwide, and there weren't enough women's wrestling events (women's freestyle only started in 2004). FILA, the group in charge of Olympic wrestling, was very unhappy. They pointed out that wrestling has a very long history, even going back to the ancient Olympic Games.
This decision caused a lot of anger. Some wrestlers, like Armen Nazaryan and Sagid Murtazaliev, even gave back their gold medals to protest! The president of FILA, Raphaël Martinetti, resigned after people lost trust in him.
A new acting president, Nenad Lalović, took over. Under his leadership, FILA started making big changes. They changed rules to make matches faster and more exciting, and they added more weight classes for women. These changes were meant to make wrestling more interesting for audiences and fix the problems that led to its removal. Wrestling, along with baseball/softball and squash, was chosen as one of three sports to be considered for the 2020 Olympics.
On September 8, 2013, the IOC voted to put wrestling back into the Olympic program for 2020 and 2024. Many people gave credit to Lalović for this success. He said it usually takes years to make such a change, but they did it in just a few months. It was a matter of survival for the sport!
Olympic Wrestling Events
Wrestling at the Olympics includes different weight categories for both men and women. Men compete in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, while women compete in Freestyle wrestling. The number of weight classes has changed over the years.
- Men's Greco-Roman: This style focuses on holds above the waist. It has been part of the Olympics since 1896.
- Men's Freestyle: This style allows holds on any part of the body, including the legs. It was added in 1904.
- Women's Freestyle: This style is similar to men's freestyle but for women. It was first included in 2004.
All-Time Olympic Wrestling Medals (1896–2020)
These tables show which countries have won the most medals in wrestling at the Olympics, from 1896 to 2020.
Combined Medals: Greco-Roman, Freestyle (Men's and Women's)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union (URS) |
62 | 31 | 23 | 116 |
| 2 | United States (USA) |
55 | 44 | 39 | 138 |
| 3 | Japan (JPN) |
37 | 22 | 17 | 76 |
| 4 | Russia (RUS) |
31 | 11 | 14 | 56 |
| 5 | Turkey (TUR) |
29 | 18 | 19 | 66 |
| 6 | Sweden (SWE) |
28 | 27 | 31 | 86 |
| 7 | Finland (FIN) |
26 | 28 | 29 | 83 |
| 8 |  Hungary (HUN) |
20 | 17 | 19 | 56 |
| 9 |  Bulgaria (BUL) |
16 | 32 | 23 | 71 |
| 10 |  Iran (IRI) |
11 | 15 | 21 | 47 |
| 11 |  South Korea (KOR) |
11 | 11 | 14 | 36 |
| 12 |  Cuba (CUB) |
11 | 6 | 10 | 27 |
| 13 |  Romania (ROU) |
7 | 8 | 19 | 34 |
| 14 |  Italy (ITA) |
7 | 4 | 11 | 22 |
| 15 | Unified Team (EUN) |
6 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| 16 |  Germany (GER) |
5 | 13 | 11 | 29 |
| 17 |  Poland (POL) |
5 | 9 | 13 | 27 |
| 18 |  Estonia (EST) |
5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 19 |  Azerbaijan (AZE) |
4 | 8 | 13 | 25 |
| 20 |  Ukraine (UKR) |
4 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
| 21 |  Yugoslavia (YUG) |
4 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| 22 |  France (FRA) |
4 | 4 | 10 | 18 |
| 23 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
4 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
| 24 |  Norway (NOR) |
4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 25 |  ROC |
4 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| 26 |  Canada (CAN) |
3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| 27 |  Georgia (GEO) |
3 | 6 | 10 | 19 |
| 28 | Great Britain (GBR) |
3 | 4 | 10 | 17 |
| 29 |  North Korea (PRK) |
3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 30 |  China (CHN) |
2 | 5 | 8 | 15 |
| 31 |  Armenia (ARM) |
2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 32 |  Egypt (EGY) |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 33 |  East Germany (GDR) |
2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 34 |  Uzbekistan (UZB) |
2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 35 |  Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
1 | 7 | 7 | 15 |
| 36 |  Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
1 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| 37 |  United Team of Germany (EUA) |
1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 38 | West Germany (FRG) |
1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 39 |  Greece (GRE) |
1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| 40 |  Serbia (SRB) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 41 |  Belarus (BLR) |
0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| 42 |  Mongolia (MGL) |
0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 43 |  Denmark (DEN) |
0 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 44 |  Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) |
0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 45 |  Belgium (BEL) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Russian Empire (RU1) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 47 |  India (IND) |
0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 48 |  Australia (AUS) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Lebanon (LIB) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 50 |  Lithuania (LTU) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 51 |  Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Mexico (MEX) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Nigeria (NGR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Puerto Rico (PUR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Slovakia (SVK) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Syria (SYR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Tajikistan (TJK) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 58 |  Austria (AUT) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Colombia (COL) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 60 |  Czech Republic (CZE) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Moldova (MDA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 North Macedonia (MKD) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Pakistan (PAK) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 San Marino (SMR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Spain (ESP) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Tunisia (TUN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (66 entries) | 428 | 428 | 500 | 1,356 | |
Greco-Roman Medals (1896–2020)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union (URS) |
34 | 16 | 10 | 60 |
| 2 | Sweden (SWE) |
20 | 17 | 21 | 58 |
| 3 | Finland (FIN) |
18 | 21 | 19 | 58 |
| 4 | Hungary (HUN) |
17 | 13 | 11 | 41 |
| 5 | Russia (RUS) |
12 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
| 6 | Turkey (TUR) |
11 | 6 | 8 | 25 |
| 7 | Bulgaria (BUL) |
9 | 14 | 9 | 32 |
| 8 | Cuba (CUB) |
9 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| 9 | South Korea (KOR) |
7 | 2 | 7 | 16 |
| 10 | Romania (ROU) |
6 | 8 | 13 | 27 |
| 11 | Italy (ITA) |
6 | 4 | 9 | 19 |
| 12 | Poland (POL) |
5 | 8 | 8 | 21 |
| 13 | Germany (GER) |
4 | 10 | 8 | 22 |
| 14 | Japan (JPN) |
4 | 7 | 4 | 15 |
| 15 | Iran (IRI) |
4 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 16 | United States (USA) |
3 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| 17 | Yugoslavia (YUG) |
3 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 18 | Unified Team (EUN) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 19 | Estonia (EST) |
3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 20 | Armenia (ARM) |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Egypt (EGY) |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | |
| 22 | Ukraine (UKR) |
2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 23 | France (FRA) |
2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 24 | Norway (NOR) |
2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 25 | East Germany (GDR) |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
1 | 6 | 4 | 11 |
| 27 | Greece (GRE) |
1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 28 | Georgia (GEO) |
1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 29 | West Germany (FRG) |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 30 | Azerbaijan (AZE) |
1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 31 | Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 32 | ROC |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 33 | Serbia (SRB) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Uzbekistan (UZB) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 35 | United Team of Germany (EUA) |
0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 36 | Denmark (DEN) |
0 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 37 | Russian Empire (RU1) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | Belarus (BLR) |
0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 39 | Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 40 | China (CHN) |
0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 41 | Lebanon (LIB) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 42 | Lithuania (LTU) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 43 | Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mexico (MEX) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 45 | Austria (AUT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Czech Republic (CZE) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Moldova (MDA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| North Korea (PRK) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Switzerland (SUI) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (49 entries) | 199 | 201 | 225 | 625 | |
Freestyle Medals (Men's and Women's) (1904–2020)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) |
52 | 38 | 33 | 123 |
| 2 | Japan (JPN) |
33 | 15 | 13 | 61 |
| 3 | Soviet Union (URS) |
28 | 15 | 13 | 56 |
| 4 | Russia (RUS) |
19 | 8 | 7 | 34 |
| 5 | Turkey (TUR) |
18 | 12 | 11 | 41 |
| 6 | Sweden (SWE) |
8 | 10 | 10 | 28 |
| 7 | Finland (FIN) |
8 | 7 | 10 | 25 |
| 8 | Bulgaria (BUL) |
7 | 18 | 14 | 39 |
| 9 | Iran (IRI) |
7 | 14 | 17 | 38 |
| 10 | South Korea (KOR) |
4 | 9 | 7 | 20 |
| 11 | Switzerland (SUI) |
4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 12 | Canada (CAN) |
3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| 13 | Azerbaijan (AZE) |
3 | 6 | 9 | 18 |
| 14 | Great Britain (GBR) |
3 | 4 | 10 | 17 |
| 15 | Hungary (HUN) |
3 | 4 | 8 | 15 |
| 16 | North Korea (PRK) |
3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 17 | Unified Team (EUN) |
3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 18 | ROC |
3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 19 | China (CHN) |
2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 20 | Georgia (GEO) |
2 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| Ukraine (UKR) |
2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | |
| 22 | France (FRA) |
2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 23 | Cuba (CUB) |
2 | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| 24 | Estonia (EST) |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Norway (NOR) |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 26 | Germany (GER) |
1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 27 | Uzbekistan (UZB) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 28 | Yugoslavia (YUG) |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 29 | United Team of Germany (EUA) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Romania (ROU) |
1 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| 31 | Italy (ITA) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 32 | Belarus (BLR) |
0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 33 | Mongolia (MGL) |
0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 34 | Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
0 | 3 | 9 | 12 |
| 35 | Belgium (BEL) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 36 | India (IND) |
0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 37 | East Germany (GDR) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 38 | Poland (POL) |
0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 39 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| West Germany (FRG) |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 41 | Australia (AUS) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 43 | Armenia (ARM) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nigeria (NGR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Puerto Rico (PUR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Slovakia (SVK) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Syria (SYR) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tajikistan (TJK) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 49 | Colombia (COL) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Greece (GRE) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 51 | Austria (AUT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| North Macedonia (MKD) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Pakistan (PAK) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| San Marino (SMR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Spain (ESP) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tunisia (TUN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (56 entries) | 229 | 227 | 275 | 731 | |
See also
- List of Olympic medalists in Freestyle wrestling
- List of Olympic medalists in Greco-Roman wrestling
- List of Olympic venues in wrestling
- Politics and sports
- Ancient Olympic Games
In Spanish: Lucha en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
