Future of Olympic Wrestling

[grappler111 11]

There are some rumors about Beach Wrestling. UWW could try to develop a new style or add weight classes. Grappling is another interesting style, like Pankration. Create a wrestling environment like athletics or swimming with multiple styles in two different event (why not in winter and summer Olympic games) could be very interesting.
 
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[Housebuye 2,449]

I hope they add submission grappling. I’m a fan of that sport too. 
  
Beach wrestling isn’t that exciting to me. I’ve watched it. It could be if it was in the Olympics, the quality of competitor would rise. The scoring could use some work too. 
  
I hope they add a dual medal event or something. Even if it’s just the top 4 teams (I think they do 6 in baseball). They could do it across all 3 styles, so it would be for the most well rounded teams. It brings an interesting dynamic. Russia would be the favorite, but the US is significantly better in women’s. Japan would have a good shot too. They are solid at both Men’s and would crush everyone but the US in women’s. 

[grappler111 11]

I hope they add submission grappling. I’m a fan of that sport too. 
  
Beach wrestling isn’t that exciting to me. I’ve watched it. It could be if it was in the Olympics, the quality of competitor would rise. The scoring could use some work too. 
  
I hope they add a dual medal event or something. Even if it’s just the top 4 teams (I think they do 6 in baseball). They could do it across all 3 styles, so it would be for the most well rounded teams. It brings an interesting dynamic. Russia would be the favorite, but the US is significantly better in women’s. Japan would have a good shot too. They are solid at both Men’s and would crush everyone but the US in women’s. 

Beach wrestling could be add like "women's greco roman".


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[BuckyBadger 82]

As long as adding new styles doesn’t mean replacing existing styles…

[goheels1812 676]

I’d be happier with them increasing weight classes back to 10 before adding new forms of combat sports. I’d really love to see what a 10 man American team could do.

57: Gilman

61: Colon/Garrett

65: Yianni/Zain/McKenna

70:Green/JO

74: JB

79: Dake

86: Taylor

92: Cox

97: Snyder

125: Gable

That’s a team in serious contention for 7-8 medals and a few golds assuming all qualified. 

Edited August 7, 2021 by goheels1812

[wrestlingnerd 3,011]

7 minutes ago, goheels1812 said:

61: Colon/Garrett

Vito

[goheels1812 676]

1 minute ago, wrestlingnerd said:

Vito

Just throwing names out off the top of my head lol, but yes Vito would be in the mix there. I just hate that there are only 6 weights, I think we could send a really deep 10 man team. 

[grappler111 11]

As long as adding new styles doesn’t mean replacing existing styles…

I'm agree with you. For example winter Olympic games with Greco Roman and Pankration. Summer Olympics with freestyle, grappling nogi and Beach Wrestling (it has only 2 weight classes).

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[152lbs 76]

Beach wrestling is contrived garbage.  Submission wrestling or any variation on no gi grappling is ok, however any addition will be at the expense of the current styles.  We only have 6 wt classes per style as it is.  How much more attrition is acceptable?

[MadMardigain 1,636]

27 minutes ago, grappler111 said:

I'm agree with you. For example winter Olympic games with Greco Roman and Pankration. Summer Olympics with freestyle, grappling nogi and Beach Wrestling (it has only 2 weight classes).

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The Winter Olympics events have to include snow or ice.  So are they going to wrestle on a snow surface then. 

[Sheerstress 174]

FILA actually had submission grappling as a style for a while until they discontinued it several years ago.  I was disappointed, as I thought it was a great addition to the more traditional styles.  I hope they'll give it another try some day.

[scribe 1,845]

It’d be better if sports were more regional to take financial pressure off the host city. There’s something like 11,000 athletes this cycle? They ain’t adding more sports if they don’t plan to take something away. 

[Drew87 349]

https://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/medal-tally/available-medals.htm

This list is really interesting in terms of available gold medals.

The best way to grow and improve the sport is getting more countries involved in a way they can be successful.  

Let’s make no bones about it, the olympics are important for national morale and patriotism, it serves sitting governments well.  Wrestling is inaccessible to much of the world, and is dominated by former soviet republics.  

To continue growing wrestling, more people need to be involved.  It will be good when US wrestlers struggle against reps from India and China, bc those are two huge swaths of the planet that know next to nothing about wrestling.

Viewership needs to continue to climb.  The amount of logistics involved in getting athletes to and from their venues, etc, is high, with a low return on viewership.  We may view it as hokie, but we need to continue growing the profile of the sport, and the lore.  

I have been very outspoken against this, but for the sake of the sport that may have been a mistake.  When sidakov, otoguru, uguev, kawai, abdurakhmanov etc foreign unapproachable names are household names, we will be good.  Think about the precision with which people in wisconsin masterfully pronounce antetokounmpo, or the way just about every mma fan can correctly pronounce nurmagomedov, and you know it’s possible.

Media getting in and giving these guys the Khabib media treatment would really help, bc it gives depth and significance to the other guys on the mat.  If you don’t appreciate the enemy, you can’t appreciate the achievement of wrestling with them and beating them.

 

[Antitroll2828 1,008]

4 hours ago, MadMardigain said:

The Winter Olympics events have to include snow or ice.  So are they going to wrestle on a snow surface then. 

Is that really the rule?

[MadMardigain 1,636]

7 minutes ago, Antitroll2828 said:

Is that really the rule?

I’m sure I can find more links but its in the opening sentence here.   It’s related to the elements of winter not just what sports may appear in North America during our winter “season.” 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games

Edited August 8, 2021 by MadMardigain

[rod_frufit 13]

Let's be honest folks, Greco was painful to watch.   

[Drew87 349]

12 minutes ago, rod_frufit said:

Let's be honest folks, Greco was painful to watch.   

It was nice to have, but there is obviously a reason it goes before freestyle.  Greco is wisely placed ahead of freestyle, bc when it comes after freestyle, nobody will watch it.  Fargo greco has fallen off in my opinion since they started to put it after freestyle.

[MadMardigain 1,636]

2 hours ago, Drew87 said:

 Fargo greco has fallen off in my opinion since they started to put it after freestyle.

The logic there was more kids would give it a try since they were now finished with freestyle.   Whereas previously they figured several were holding out to ensure they ready for the freestyle competition.  Either way continues to show Greco is still too much of an afterthought rather than a legit avenue for that age group. 

[grappler111 11]

The Winter Olympics events have to include snow or ice.  So are they going to wrestle on a snow surface then. 

You are right. Another solution could be women's beach wrestling and a sort of wrestling biathlon with Nogi Grappling and Pankration.  

 

 

 

 

[grappler111 11]

FILA actually had submission grappling as a style for a while until they discontinued it several years ago.  I was disappointed, as I thought it was a great addition to the more traditional styles.  I hope they'll give it another try some day.

UWW now has Grappling Nogi and Gi. This month there is the junior world champion in Russia with greco roman, freestyle wrestling and for the first time Grappling!

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[Shiraz123 853]

23 minutes ago, grappler111 said:

UWW now has Grappling Nogi and Gi. This month there is the junior world champion in Russia with greco roman, freestyle wrestling and for the first time Grappling!

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It's not the first time and it's not the same tournament. Grappling ends on the 14 and the main styles start on the 16, they are separated on the UWW calendar. They just are holding them in the same place. They did the same thing in Kazakhstan where are after 2019 senior worlds ended for FS, GR and WFS they held the grappling world championships in the same venue.

Edited August 8, 2021 by Shiraz123

[Jaroslav Hasek 2,067]

If you want to get more clout within the Olympics you have to offer the Olympics something they want. Right now that's gender equity and eyeballs (which benefit their sponsors and media partners). All plans must start from there to have any hope. 

[Billyhoyle 2,500]

Why would grappling even be in contention for addition?  It has a significantly smaller fanbase than wrestling and is practiced by fewer countries.  I'm a fan of wrestling and watch MMA, but I consider grappling to be incredibly boring, bordering on unwatchable. Judo is a better product than grappling.  

The  reality is that wrestling will probably never be a completely mainstream sport, but if we actually look at the coverage today vs a couple cycles ago, it has improved. The first step to growing olympic wrestling is converting NCAA fans, and I think channels like Rokfin and Flo are putting in much of the legwork to do that.  The reality though is that wrestling will  never be completely mainstream, but in the world of streaming sports content, it doesn't really have to be. I bet the engagement data from this olympics in wrestling is better than it was 4 years ago, and NBC will take notice.  One thing that would really help though is superstar like Gable sticking around.  Taylor, while a great wrestler, does not have his level of star power. Honestly, I don't think any wrestler in U.S. history does.  

[grappler111 11]

It's not the first time and it's not the same tournament. Grappling ends on the 14 and the main styles start on the 16, they are separated on the UWW calendar. They just are holding them in the same place. They did the same thing in Kazakhstan where are after 2019 senior worlds ended for FS, GR and WFS they held the grappling world championships in the same venue.

The first time in Russia. They are separate but the environment is the same. In my opinion it is the right way.

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[grappler111 11]

Why would grappling even be in contention for addition?  It has a significantly smaller fanbase than wrestling and is practiced by fewer countries.  I'm a fan of wrestling and watch MMA, but I consider grappling to be incredibly boring, bordering on unwatchable. Judo is a better product than grappling.  
The  reality is that wrestling will probably never be a completely mainstream sport, but if we actually look at the coverage today vs a couple cycles ago, it has improved. The first step to growing olympic wrestling is converting NCAA fans, and I think channels like Rokfin and Flo are putting in much of the legwork to do that.  The reality though is that wrestling will  never be completely mainstream, but in the world of streaming sports content, it doesn't really have to be. I bet the engagement data from this olympics in wrestling is better than it was 4 years ago, and NBC will take notice.  One thing that would really help though is superstar like Gable sticking around.  Taylor, while a great wrestler, does not have his level of star power. Honestly, I don't think any wrestler in U.S. history does.  

With some adjustments in stand up department I think that Grappling nogi is very exciting and it is similar to ancient Greek wrestling. Pankration is another excellent style with a good point system for wrestling techniques. An inclusion beside Greco, Freestyle and woman's Beach Wrestling with different format without a large numbers of medals could be fine.

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