Paris 2024 Olympic Games: calendar, date, location, history… Everything you need to know about wrestling

La lutte est une discipline présente depuis le début des Jeux de l’ère moderne. MAXPPP

Avant les Jeux Olympiques (26 juillet-11 août), découvrez le mode d’emploi de toutes les disciplines. Focus sur la lutte.

The origins

This flagship discipline of the ancient Games was on the program for the first Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896 in Athens, but not in 1900 in Paris. Since 1904, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling have never left the Olympic program, but in 2013 they lost their Olympic status for seven months before regaining it thanks to a democratization of its international federation and a simplification of its rules, to make the fights more attractive.

Women's wrestling, only freestyle, made its debut in 2004 in Athens. Its Greco-Roman version remains exclusively masculine.

The Trials

There are two fights, the free one where the holds can be worn over the entire body, including the legs, and the Greco-Roman where the holds must be worn exclusively above the belt.

This represents a total of 18 categories, including six female. In each category, 16 participants compete in a direct elimination table until the final. The wrestlers who lost to the two finalists face the losers of the semi-finals in the repechage with two bronze medals at stake.

The wrestlers face each other in a duel on an octagonal mat measuring 12 m by 12 m inside which the combat zone is marked by a circle of 9  ;nbsp;m in diameter with a peripheral crown of one meter, the protection zone.

Each wrestler tries to keep the opponent down by making him touch his shoulders to the ground or to obtain an advantage of 10 points by means of holds of different values. These two scenarios immediately end the fight.

The calendar

Test dates: August 6 to 11

Tuesday 6 août : – 68 kg women, – 60 kg men (Greeco-Roman), – 130 kg men (Greeco-Roman)

Wednesday 7 août : – 50 kg women, – 77 kg men (Greeco-Roman), – 97kg men (Greeco-Roman)

Thursday 8 août : – 53 kg women, – 67 kg men (Greeco-Roman), – 87 kg men (Greeco-Roman)

Friday 9 Augustût  : – 57 kg women, – 57 kg men (free), – 86 kg men (free)

Saturday 10 août : – 62 kg women, – 74 kg men (free), – 125 kg men (free)

Sunday 11 août : – 76 kg women, – 65kg men (freestyle), – 96kg men (freestyle)

The Olympic site

The fight is taking place at the Arena Champs-de-Mars, opposite the Eiffel Tower and at the foot of the Ecole Militaire.

Also called "Grand Palais ephemeral" since its foundation in 2021 to replace the Grand Palais closed for work, this 10,000 m2 wooden setting designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte offers a capacity of 8,500 seats.< /p>

The Arena Champs-de-Mars will host the wrestling events. XinHua – Julien Mattia

The incredible challenge of Mijain Lopez

At 41 years old, Mijain Lopez can make Olympic history: he is aiming for a fifth consecutive title in Paris in the under 130 kg category in Greco-Roman wrestling , a feat that has never before been achieved in any sport during the Summer Games. In rowing, Briton Steve Redgrave also won five titles consecutively, but in different categories.

But the Cuban has not appeared in competition since his coronation in Tokyo almost three years ago! "The truth is certain the carpet and, I tell you, I will do it", he assured in April.