Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games Sport Guide: Wrestling

By Steven Oldham

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Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in this world and has a proud history through the ages being the focal point of the early Olympic Games, and remains one of the few sports contested every time.

When the IOC Executive Committee recommended it be removed from the Olympic programme last year in favour of a new programme, a worldwide campaign was launched to save wrestling at the Games, uniting famous foes USA, Russia and Iran, and eventually it was returned for the 2020 and 2024 editions in favour of squash and baseball/softball.

While wrestling's history at the Commonwealths is not as sacred, the Games in Glasgow will be richer for having included it. Only an optional sport, it has been dropped three times and missed the 1990, 1998 and 2006 editions before returning in Delhi four years ago.

WHEN?

The wrestling competition takes place over three action-packed days between July 29-31 with gold medals on offer each day.

WHERE?

The wrestling tournaments will be held in the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre.

WHO?

India topped the overall medals table at the last Games with an impressive 10 of 21 available golds going to the hosts. Their dominance is likely to be reduced in Glasgow, as only freestyle wrestling is included in this year's programme. They won four of the six Greco-Roman events on their home turf, but the discipline has been axed for this year.  Champions Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil Kumar are back to defend their titles. Also in the team is 20-year-old 2013 world championship silver medallist Amit Kumar.

Canada also have a strong heritage in wrestling at the Games, taking half of the available women's freestyle titles last time. While none of the champions are returning, Dorothy Yeats will compete at -69kg - she won gold in the Youth Olympics four years ago and will be looking to take another medal back across the Atlantic.

Leon Rattigan won bronze for England four years ago and will be looking to climb up another couple of steps on the podium this time round. He's won both the English and British titles. He will be joined by European bronze medallist and Great Britain's sole London 2012 wrestler Olga Butkevych.

LET ME SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT...

• In freestyle, wrestlers aim to throw and pin their opponent to the mat.
• Using the legs to attack or defend yourself from being flipped is perfectly legal.
• Wrestlers fight in weight classes - seven each for men and women - so fourteen gold medals are up for grabs in Glasgow
• The fighters knocked out by the two finalists in the tournament enter a repechage tournament  to try and win a bronze medal. The wrestlers are paired by the round they were eliminated, and the winners of these matches progress to meet the next wrestler up the rung and a chance to take a medal home.
• Don't expect to see moonsaults or dropkicks. This is real wrestling, not WWE.

CAN I STILL BUY TICKETS?

Click here and find out.  Tickets are getting scarce as the event draws nearer.

India's Sushil Kumar won gold on home turf four years ago.
Can he do it again? (gg2.net)