Paris Olympics 2024: Meet South Africa’s WRESTLING team

Paris Olympics 2024: Meet South Africa’s WRESTLING team

South Africa will be represented by one competitor in wrestling competition at the Paris Olympics 2024.

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Nicolaas de Lange will battle for the medals in the men’s freestyle wrestling 97kg division.

For the latest Paris Olympics 2024 news, bookmark The South African website’s dedicated section

HISTORY

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in human history – if not the oldest.

Multiple sculptures, reliefs and cave drawings – some of which date to around 15 000 years ago – show wrestlers using various holds that are still used in the present-day sport.

Wrestling was a key part of the ancient Olympic Games, where it was first contested in 708 BC.

Wrestling matches were organised as its own event in two disciplines (‘upright’ and ‘ground’ wrestling) and as part of the pentathlon.

Modern wrestling consists of two separate disciplines: Greco-Roman wrestling, a wrestling style based on the ancient sport, and freestyle wrestling, a more modern format.

OVERVIEW

The two Olympic wrestling disciplines, each with its own rules.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, a competitor can only use his arms and upper body to attack his opponent above the waist.

Freestyle wrestling is a much more open form of the sport in which competitors also use their legs and can hold opponents above or below the waist.

However, the objective is the same in both styles.

Contested on a circular combat area, a bout consists of two three-minute periods.

Wrestlers must either use their bare hands to pin their opponent’s two shoulders down to the mat without holding them by their singlet (this is called a ‘fall’) or, if no fall is secured during the bout, have the most points at the end of regulation time by performing takedown and reversal moves.

OLYMPIC HISTORY

Greco-Roman wrestling has been a blue-ribbon Olympic event ever since the first modern Games were held in Athens in 1896. It became a permanent fixture on the Olympic programme in 1908.

Freestyle wrestling made its debut a few years later at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics and has featured on the Olympic programme ever since the Antwerp 1920 Games.

Women’s freestyle wrestling has been on the Olympic programme since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Athletes representing the Soviet Union have won 116 medals at the Games, including 62 golds. Team USA athletes have secured 142 medals (57 golds).

Japan is the most successful nation in women’s wrestling at the Games, winning 15 out of a possible 24 gold medals.

DATES

The wrestling competitions at the Paris Olympics 2024 are scheduled to run from 5 to 11 August at Grand Palais Éphémère in Champ de Mars.

As many as 290 wrestlers from 58 nations are expected to compete across 18 different weight categories.

The men will wrestle against each other in both freestyle and Greco-Roman events, whereas the women will only participate in the freestyle wrestling.

Sixteen wrestlers compete in each division.

The competition consists of a single-elimination tournament, with a repechage used to determine the winner of two bronze medals.

The two finalists will wrestle for the gold and silver medals.

Each wrestler losing to one of the two finalists moves into the repechage that culminates in a pair of bronze medal matches featuring the semi-final losers who each face the remaining repechage opponent from their half of the bracket.

SOUTH AFRICA OLYMPIC WRESTLING HISTORY

South Africa has never won a wrestling medal in its Olympic history.

PRIZE MONEY ON OFFER

As reported by The South African website, the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (Sascoc) has confirmed the prize money on offer for any South African medal winners – as well as their coaches.

– Athletes who win gold will be awarded R400 000, with the coach receiving R100 000

– Silver medalists will earn R200 000 and R50 000 for the coach

– Bronze medal payouts will be R75 000 and R25 000 for the athlete and coach, respectively

TEAM SA WRESTLING TEAM FOR PARIS OLYMPICS 2024

Men: Nicolaas de Lange (97kg)

Coach/Manager: Jan Roets