Greco-Roman Wrestling is recognised as one of
the world’s oldest sports.
Published On 7 Aug 20127 Aug 2012
It was first held at the ancient Olympics in
708BC and Greco-Roman Wrestling was included at the Athens 1896 Games.
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In Greco-Roman wrestling, competitors can only use their arms and upper bodies to attack their opponent(***)s upper body.
The aim is to force the back of the opponent’s
shoulders on to the ground using strength, cunning and balance. All the action takes place on an octagonal mat and
can last for a maximum of three periods of two minutes with a 30-second break
in between periods.
Wrestlers sports a one-piece spandex suit to
prevent an opponent from grabbing on to it to use to their advantage.
There are various types of throw that can
score points, including the ‘grand amplitude’ – throwing an opponent on his
back, and the ‘takedown’ where the opponent is thrown to the mat.
There are two types of wrestling – freestyle
and Greco-Roman Wrestling, but only men participate in Greco-Roman Wrestling.
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Cuba’s Mijain Lopez powered
to his second successive Olympic gold in the heaviest weight class (120kg), and
then set his sights on a third gold in Rio.
