wrestling
Sport popular in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and included in the Olympics from 704 BC. The two main modern international styles are Greco-Roman, concentrating on above-waist holds, and freestyle, which allows the legs to be used to hold or trip; in both the aim is to throw the opponent to the ground.
Many countries have their own forms of wrestling. Glima is unique to Iceland; Kushti is the national style practised in Iran; Schwingen has been practised in Switzerland for hundreds of years; and sumo is the national sport of Japan. World championships for freestyle wrestling have existed since 1951 and since 1921 for Greco-Roman style. Greco-Roman was included in the first modern Olympic programme in 1896; freestyle made its debut in 1904. Competitors are categorized according to weight: at the 2000 Olympic Games there were eight weight divisions in each style of wrestling, but this was reduced to seven for the 2004 games.
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