Wrestling (UWW) — Official Rules

Wrestling is a one-on-one grappling combat sport in which each wrestler seeks either to "pin" (fall) the opponent or to win on points. Two wrestlers — distinguished as red and blue by the colour of their singlet — meet in a single bout on a circular mat. There are no draws: every bout produces one winner and one loser. The bout is directed by a referee on the mat, supervised by a judge and a mat chairman who together control scoring, cautions and the fall.

UWW governs three Olympic styles under this single ruleset. In Greco-Roman Wrestling it is strictly forbidden to grasp the opponent below the belt line, to trip, or to use the legs actively on the opponent. In Freestyle Wrestling it is permitted to grasp the legs, to trip, and to use the legs actively to perform any action. Women's Wrestling follows the Freestyle rules, but the Double Nelson is forbidden. Beach Wrestling, Pankration, Belt Wrestling, Grappling and Traditional Wrestling are governed by separate regulations.

A bout may be won in any of the following ways: (1) by fall (pinning both of the opponent's shoulders); (2) by injury (the opponent cannot continue); (3) by 3 cautions given to the opponent during the bout; (4) by technical superiority (the required point gap is reached); (5) by forfeit; (6) by disqualification; or (7) by points — having at least 1 point more after the addition of the two periods. Detailed classification points for each result type are set out in Article 41 (Chapter 7).

UWW competition is organised by age group: U15, U17, U20, U23 (Seniors Under-23), Seniors (20 years and older) and Veterans. U20 wrestlers may compete with seniors (with the relevant exceptions for very young athletes), and the Senior Under-23 Championships use the Senior rules and Senior weight categories. Athletes must hold a valid UWW licence and pass the medical check and weigh-in for their age and weight group.

Seniors, U23 and U20 contest ten weight categories per style. Greco-Roman: 55, 60, 63, 67, 72, 77, 82, 87, 97 and 130 kg. Freestyle (men): 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92, 97 and 125 kg. At the Olympic Games the field is reduced to six Olympic weight categories per style — Greco-Roman: 60, 67, 77, 87, 97, 130 kg; Men's Freestyle: 57, 65, 74, 86, 97, 125 kg. Senior and U23 athletes may opt up one category at the weigh-in.

Senior, U23 and U20 Women's Wrestling contests ten weight categories: 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 62, 65, 68, 72 and 76 kg. At the Olympic Games the field is reduced to six Olympic weight categories: 50, 53, 57, 62, 68 and 76 kg. Female athletes may opt up one category at the weigh-in (the upper limit for opting up applies over 72 kg in Women's Wrestling). Women's Wrestling applies the Freestyle technical rules with the Double Nelson forbidden (Article 1.2).

A bout is contested on a UWW-approved mat that is a circle of 9 m in diameter, surrounded by a 1.50 m border of the same thickness. The surface is divided into zones: the central circle at the middle of the mat is 1 m in diameter; the central wrestling surface inside the orange circle is 7 m in diameter; the passivity zone — the orange strip — is 1 m wide; and the protection area outside it is 1.50 m wide. The colour of the protection area must differ from the colour of the mat.

For the Olympic Games, World and Continental Championships and Ranking Series, the mat is installed on a platform no higher than 1.10 m and no lower than 0.80 m, with the platform reaching at least 1 m around each side; where more than one mat is used, a minimum of 1 m separates the mats. The wooden floor near the mat must be covered with a firmly-fixed soft cover, and scoreboards are placed on a separate platform for safety. To prevent contamination, the mat must be cleaned and disinfected before every session.

For U20, U23 and Seniors a bout is two periods of 3 minutes with a 30-second break between them. For U15, U17 and Veterans a bout is two periods of 2 minutes with a 30-second break. The scoreboard clock runs from 6:00 down to 0:00 for senior bouts (from 4:00 to 0:00 for the shorter format). The winner is declared by the addition of the points scored in both periods at the end of regular time — unless the bout ends earlier by fall, technical superiority, 3 cautions, injury, forfeit or disqualification.

Contestants are called to the mat three times at 30-second intervals (in English); a wrestler who does not appear after the third call is eliminated and loses by forfeit. A wrestler cannot be called to a new bout until a rest period of 20 minutes has elapsed from the end of the previous bout. Each wrestler takes the corner matching their singlet colour — the red wrestler on one side, the blue on the other — and the bout begins in the standing (neutral) position at the referee's whistle.

1 point is awarded, among other cases, for: an opponent who steps into the protection zone with one entire foot in standing position without a hold (a step-out); a reversal (the dominated wrestler in par terre counters and passes behind); the opponent fleeing the hold or the mat while not in danger, committing an illegal hold or act of brutality (in Freestyle), or a foul after a first warning; a lost challenge by the opponent; a wrestler designated passive in Freestyle who fails to score in the 30-second activity period; and the opponent's first or second passivity in Greco-Roman.

2 points are awarded for, among others: a wrestler who takes the opponent down and controls by passing behind (at least three of the seven points of contact — hands, knees, head, elbows — on the mat); a correct throw bringing the opponent prone or onto the flank with loss of control; a hold that places the opponent's back at an angle of less than 90 degrees (exposure / danger position); the opponent rolling onto the shoulders or turning the back below 90 degrees; an opponent who flees the mat while in a danger position; or, in Greco-Roman, the opponent committing an illegal action or act of brutality. Under UWW rules, exposure/danger is worth 2 points — there is no 3-point near-fall.

4 points are awarded for: a hold from the standing position that brings the opponent continuously and dynamically into a danger position; any hold lifting the opponent off the ground into a danger position over a short amplitude, even if one or both of the attacker's knees are on the mat; a grand-amplitude throw that does NOT place the opponent in direct and immediate danger; and any throw from standing or par terre where the opponent is completely lifted and lands on the chest or on one/two outstretched arms with a short-amplitude rotation. If the defender keeps only one hand on the mat but is immediately placed in danger, the attacker still receives 4 points.

A "Grand-Amplitude" throw is any action that causes the opponent to lose all contact with the ground, makes him describe a broadly sweeping curve in the air, and brings him to the ground under control. 5 points — the maximum single action — are awarded for: all grand-amplitude throws executed from a standing position that place the opponent in a direct and immediate danger position; and a hold by a wrestler in the par terre position who completely lifts the opponent off the ground with a high-amplitude throw projecting the opponent into direct and immediate danger.

When a wrestler brings the opponent to the ground, wrestling continues in the "par terre" (ground) position: the bottom wrestler may defend, stand up or counter-attack, and a reversal (passing behind to gain control) scores 1 point. The wrestler on top may not stop the bout or demand a return to standing. If the attacker cannot continue the attack against effective defence, the referee returns the wrestlers to standing. The ordered par terre start places the bottom wrestler flat in the centre with arms forward and legs back; refusing the ordered position is penalised (top: warning then loss of position; bottom: caution + 1 point in Freestyle / +2 points in Greco-Roman after the warning).

A wrestler is in the danger position when the line of the back (or shoulders) forms an angle of less than 90 degrees to the mat and the wrestler resists with the upper body to avoid a fall. It occurs when the defender takes a bridge to avoid a pin, supports on one or both elbows with the back toward the mat, has one shoulder touching while the other passes the 90-degree line (an acute angle), or rolls on the shoulders. The danger position ends when the wrestler passes the 90-degree vertical line with chest and stomach facing the mat. A back forming exactly 90 degrees to the mat is the neutral point — not yet danger.

A fall (touche/pin) is valid when the defensive wrestler is held with both shoulders in contact with the mat long enough for the referee to confirm complete control of the position. To count at the edge, both shoulders must be within the orange zone and the entire head must not touch the protection area — a fall in the protection area is not valid. The fall observed by the referee is valid only after confirmation by the mat chairman; the referee then strikes the mat and blows the whistle to end the bout. If a wrestler is pinned as a result of their own illegal hold, the fall is awarded to the opponent.

Except for a fall or disqualification, the bout is stopped before the end of regular time when the score gap reaches 8 points in Greco-Roman or 10 points in Freestyle and Women's Wrestling. The bout may not be interrupted to declare technical superiority until the wrestlers return to a neutral position — the referee waits for the attack or counter-attack to finish. The mat chairman signals when the required gap is attained, and the referee declares the winner after the mat chairman's confirmation.

Each result awards classification points used for final ranking: 5:0 for a victory by fall (VFA), by injury (VIN), by 3 cautions (VCA), by forfeit (VFO) or by disqualification (DSQ). Technical superiority gives 4:0 (VSU) when the loser scored no technical point, or 4:1 (VSU1) when the loser scored technical points. Victory by points gives 3:0 (VPO) when the loser scored nothing (winner ahead by 1-7 in Greco-Roman / 1-9 in Freestyle) or 3:1 (VPO1) when the loser scored points. A double disqualification, double injury or double forfeit is recorded 0:0.

When the two-period total is tied on points, the winner is decided successively by: (1) the action of the highest value; (2) the greater number of highest-value actions; (3) the fewest cautions; (4) the last technical point scored. A new 2026 clarification adds that in Freestyle and Women's, if a bout ends 1-1 with both points from the opponent's passivity, the first point scored wins; and where the first point is non-technical (e.g. passivity or a lost challenge) but the second is technical, the technical point ranks higher and the last (technical) scorer wins. In Greco-Roman a special 1-1 criterion applies: when the bout ends 1-1, the wrestler who scored the first point generally takes the bout.

When the refereeing body agrees a wrestler is blocking, avoiding wrestling or wasting time, the referee signals "Action blue/red": the first offence is a verbal warning ("Attention"); on the second offence the passive wrestler is shown on the scoreboard and a 30-second mandatory-activity period begins — if he does not score in those 30 seconds, the opponent receives 1 point even if the passive wrestler scores during the period. If after 2:00 of the first period neither wrestler has scored (0-0), the referee must designate one wrestler inactive and apply the same procedure. In the last 30 seconds of a period, an evading/blocking wrestler gives the opponent 1 point + a caution.

Greco-Roman uses a distinctly different procedure based on Active Wrestling (seeking contact and setting up attacks). When one wrestler blocks active wrestling he is judged passive: the 1st passivity stops the bout, gives the active wrestler 1 point, and lets him choose standing or par terre; the 2nd passivity likewise gives 1 point and the choice; from the 3rd passivity onward the active wrestler gets the choice of position but no point. Passivity may be called when the score is 0-0, when tied with one wrestler clearly more active, or when a leader's opponent is too defensive. Passivity calls are confirmed by the mat chairman and cannot be challenged.

Negative Wrestling is any action that is potentially dangerous to the opponent or contrary to offensive, spectacular wrestling — for example interlocking fingers, keeping the head down on the opponent's chest, avoiding contact, or refusing to return to an upright posture. The 2026 edition penalises it immediately, without the passivity procedure: once the referee states it (e.g. "Red, no fingers!") and the mat chairman confirms, the opponent is awarded a caution (0) and 1 point in Freestyle, or a caution (0) and 2 points in Greco-Roman. Negative Wrestling and Passivity are distinct and one may not be penalised as the other.

The 2026 edition refines stepping out in standing wrestling. When the attacking wrestler steps into the protection area while attempting a hold, he is awarded the hold's value (1, 2, 4 or 5) only if he completes it in one continuous action; if he fails after lifting and controlling, the bout is stopped with no point; if he stops without control, the opponent gets 1 point. Deliberately pushing the opponent out with no meaningful action no longer earns a point (verbal warning only). Importantly, if the defensive wrestler steps out of the protection area in a grounded position (on the knees), it now counts as a step-out and the attacker is awarded 1 point.

A caution (0) is noted against a wrestler for fleeing the mat, fleeing a hold, refusal to start, an illegal hold or brutality, and after each caution the opponent automatically receives at least one point. A wrestler who receives 3 cautions during a match loses the bout (VCA 5:0); the third caution must be given unanimously by the refereeing body. Challenge requests are accepted for all kinds of cautions, but passivity penalties and the fall cannot be challenged. The same three-caution standard for disqualification now applies across all styles in the 2026 edition.

Wrestlers are forbidden to: pull hair, ears or genitals, pinch, bite, twist fingers or toes, or perform any action intended to torture the opponent; kick, head-butt, strangle, push, or apply holds that endanger life or risk a fracture/dislocation, or touch the face between the eyebrows and the mouth line; tread on the opponent's feet (Greco-Roman only); thrust an elbow or knee into the abdomen; cling to or grasp the mat; talk during the bout; seize the sole of the opponent's foot (only the upper foot or heel may be held); agree the result between themselves; interlock fingers to block active wrestling; or spit out water during the break. These are sanctioned by disqualification, a caution + 1 (or 2) points, or a verbal warning according to severity.

The following holds are strictly illegal: the throat hold; twisting the arm more than 90 degrees; an arm lock applied to the forearm; holding the head or neck with two hands and all strangulation positions; the Double Nelson unless executed from the side without using the legs on any part of the opponent's body (the Double Nelson is entirely forbidden in Women's Wrestling); bringing the opponent's arm behind the back while applying pressure with the forearm at an acute angle; and executing a hold by stretching the opponent's spinal column. An illegal hold is penalised, and a wrestler pinned by their own illegal hold concedes the fall to the opponent.

Each bout is officiated by a three-person refereeing body: the referee (on the mat, directing the bout and wearing a red wristband on the left wrist and a blue on the right), the judge (awarding and recording points and signalling the fall), and the mat chairman (coordinating the referee and judge and resolving disagreements). Decisions of the referee and judge are valid and enforceable when they agree — except for technical superiority, passivity, cautions and the fall, which the mat chairman must confirm. The mat chairman may never be the first to give an opinion on a scoring action; he confirms or resolves disputes.

Where video control is established, a coach may challenge a refereeing decision by pushing the challenge button (or using a sponge) immediately after the contested call; the wrestler may reject it directly. The refereeing delegate (or substitute) reviews the video and renders a final, non-challengeable decision. Each wrestler has one challenge per match: if the review modifies the decision the challenge is retained; if it confirms the decision the wrestler loses the challenge and the opponent receives 1 point. A challenge must be requested within 10 seconds of the points being published or the wrestlers returning to neutral, and no challenge is allowed against passivity penalties or a confirmed fall.