Explained: What is the new wrestling format for Paris Olympics 2024 qualifiers?

Published at :November 15, 2023 at 12:41 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2024 at 1:06 AM

(Courtesy : The Quint)

A total of 288 wrestlers will be taking part at Paris 2024.

The United World Wrestling (UWW) on Monday, November 13, unveiled a new structure for the upcoming continental and world qualifiers events for the Paris Olympics 2024. A number of significant adjustments have been implemented, with the exclusion of gold medal match standing out as a notable change.

All the five Paris Olympics qualifiers will feature four seeds in each weight class, with the omission of gold-medal bouts. In the next six months, the Olympic quotas for wrestling will be determined through four continental and one world qualifiers.

The upcoming qualification cycle for the next year is set to commence with the Pan-American Qualifiers in Acapulco, Mexico, scheduled to take place from February 28 to March 1. This will be followed by the African & Oceania Qualifiers in Alexandria, Egypt, from March 22-24.

Subsequently, the European Qualifiers will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from April 4-7, and the Asian Qualifiers will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from April 19-21. Finally, the World Olympic Qualifier is scheduled to be held in Istanbul, Turkiye, from May 9-12.

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Continental Qualifying events

The Continental Qualifiers will be of great importance as they will determine which athletes and countries will have the chance to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris. The focus will be on the semifinal bouts, where athletes will give their all to secure a place for respective NOC’s for the prestigious event. Only the winners of the semifinals will be guaranteed a spot for their country.

For the four Continental Qualifiers, the semifinal bouts will serve as the qualification bouts for the Paris Olympic Games. There will be no repechage matches, bronze and gold-medal bouts will not be held during these continental events.

The finalists in each of the six Olympic weight categories will secure a spot for their country in the Paris Games, and no additional quotas will be granted from these competitions. The morning session will showcase matches until the quarterfinals, followed by an intermission. The semifinals will then be held in the evening.

World Qualifiers

For the World Qualifier, the semifinal bouts will play a crucial role as the Paris Olympic qualification bouts. The winners of these semifinals will secure a quota for the Olympic Games, showing their exceptional talent and determination. Additionally, two outstanding athletes will have the opportunity to compete for the third quota in each weight category by clashing in the bronze-medal bouts.

It’s important to note that there will be no gold-medal match during this highly anticipated competition. The focus will only be on the electrifying semifinals and the intense battles for Olympic qualification.

The event will take place over the course of two days, with the repechage matches scheduled for the second day. On the second day, all participating wrestlers will be required to undergo weigh-ins and compete in the repechage in order to progress to the bronze-medal match. The wrestlers who attain bronze medals will subsequently participate in a wrestle-off to secure a ticket to the Paris Olympics.

One major difference between continental and world qualifiers is that the former doesn’t offer bronze medal match whereas the latter has an additional quota on offer.

List of events that will take place in Paris Olympics 2024.

Men’s Greco-Roman events: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, 130kg
Men’s Freestyle events: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, 125kg
Women’s Freestyle events: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, 76kg

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