When you hear the word wrestling you could be excused for thinking of the men in spandex and makeup, wrestling entertainment. The sport of wrestling and the entertainment version couldn’t be further apart. Wrestling is a tough physical sport that requires incredible levels of concentration and physical strength. It is a sport that has a long and bright history. Read on to find out more.
Wrestling the oldest sport in the world
It is believed that wrestling dates back to 3000 BC and is the oldest sport in the world. Cave drawings were found that dated back to that era and showed wrestling taking place.
Wrestling and the Olympics
Wrestling is part of the original line up of the Olympics back in 776 BC. The ancient Olympics was seen as a peaceful way to resolve conflict and wrestling perfectly embodies this idea.
Wrestling and diversity
Wrestling aims to be an all-inclusive sport as it can be done by people of all creeds and classes. There is not a significant amount of money required to take part and over 200 nations compete today. While Russia has historically dominated the sport at an Olympic level, 71 countries qualified to compete in the 2012 Olympics and 29 different countries were in medal positions.
Wrestling and the USA
Wrestling is a very popular sport in American schools ranking 6th for participants among high school male students. It is the fourth highest sport in terms of medals for the US in the Olympics (129 medals won).
Wrestling is like a more physical game of chess on a mat. It pits two athletes against each other in a battle of strength and willpower. While wrestling entertainment like WWE brought out the lighter side of wrestling and the UFC has brought out the box office version, wrestling will always have its roots in high school gyms and ancient Greece. The sport has a rich history and a rich future ahead.
