A bluffers guide to . . . Greco-Roman wrestling

Sounds like a mishmash of moussaka and pasta if you ask me . . .

Not quite as appetising as that, this is a style of wrestling that has been around longer than it takes a feta cheese to mature. Unlike recent blow-ins like golf and rugby, this form of combat has been in the Olympics since the inaugural modern Games in 1896. Its origins date all the way back to the ancient Olympics 3,000 years ago.

But isn’t this the last time that wrestling will be held in the Olympics?

It looked that way after the IOC voted to throw wrestling out of the Games in 2013. But it was given a reprieve, helped by a campaign that featured actor William Baldwin of all people. After it was thrown out, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles staged a successful bid to get it reinstated for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

So what’s so special about Greco-Roman wrestling?

Well, it’s different, that’s for sure. Unlike other forms of wrestling, competitors aren’t allowed to hold below the waist which places an emphasis on throws because a wrestler can’t use trips or legs to take an opponent to the ground, or avoid throws by hooking or grabbing the opponent’s leg. It’s all about arm drags, bear hugs and headlocks but the real deal is a throw known as a suplex in which the offensive wrestler lifts his opponent in a high arc while falling backwards on his own neck to bridge in order to bring his opponent’s shoulders down to the mat. There are also plenty of moves called gut-wrenching and body-locking involved.

All a bit sweaty, no?

It gets that way. But referees carry out pre-fight inspections to check for perspiration and oily or greasy substances so that all is fair (and dry) before the actual combat which is conducted on a mat.

A mat? Something like a Persian rug?

Not quite. The match takes place on a thick rubber circular mat that is shock-absorbing for the wrestlers’ safety. The main wrestling area has a nine-metre diameter and is surrounded by a 1.5m border of the same thickness which is known as a protection area. Inside the 9m diameter circle, there is a red band of 1m in width that is on the outer edge of the circle and known as the red zone, which is used to help indicate passivity on the part of a wrestler.

How do you win?

Quite simple really. The object is to claim victory by a fall – also known as a pin – which occurs when one wrestler holds both of his opponents’ shoulders on the mat simultaneously. The two shoulders of the defensive wrestler must be held long enough for the referee to consider the aggressor has total control of the fall (usually for one or two seconds). It’s not all in the referee’s hands, though. Either the judge by matside or the mat chairman must agree with the referee’s decision to make the fall valid. A fall ends the match regardless of when it occurs. The bout is for three rounds of two minutes’ duration.

What happens if neither wrestler makes a fall?

Don’t worry, a winner will be found . . . either by technical superiority (on accumulated points) or by decision (also on points) or by default (if one wrestler can’t continue for some reason). A wrestler can also be disqualified for being assessed for three cautions for breaking the rules.

Quick notes . . .

Top spoofing factoid: The Russians are rather good at it . . . and so are the Turks, Mongolians and Iranians, where wrestling is the national sport.

Do say: "They do a lot of hugging, don't they?"

Don't say: "Who forgot to use deodorant?"