Wrestling

Wrestling has been plagued with controversy and scandal for the whole of last year.

- STANISLAUS LOUIS

It has been hogging prime time and space in the media. The dismal performance of 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze at the recently concluded Asian Games, in which India achieved a total of 107 medals, speaks volumes about the effect it has had on our grapplers representing the country.

What Is Wrestling?

Wrestling, with the possible exception of athletes, is the oldest sport. In this sport, the individual grappler's aim is to throw, hold the opponent down, or outscore the other during a match. Wrestling made its Olympic descent in 1896 at Athens. There are two types of wrestling at the Olympics Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

The grappler submits to fight for three rounds under specified rules and regulations and agrees to be judged by a panel of judges. The rules for both forms are almost identical, except that in Greco-Roman, a grappler is not allowed to attack the opponent below the waist or use his own leg to execute a hold.

The Evolution of Wrestling as a Sport

In the seventh century, wrestler Ramdas inspired Hindus to take up wrestling as an activity in homage to Hanuman, the god of strength and valour. It is said that every Maharashtrian boy knows wrestling. And during this period, women wrestlers travelled the country, taking on all comers, too. The Peshwas support solidified its existence and strengthened its growth.

Groundwork in wrestling was introduced after the Muslim conquest. Wrestling was then popularly known as Pehlwani (pehlwan in Persian meaning 'hero'). Pehlwani was a combination of Koshti-Pehlwani and Malla-Yuddha. It was a precursor to modern kushti. The title of Rustomi-Hind is derived from Rustom, the mythical hero of Iran, who is said to have defeated Sohrab.

Pre-Independence Era