Combat Sports🇫🇷France Olympic19th century

Greco-Roman Wrestling

Olympic wrestling style banning holds below the waist — decided by throws, pins and lifts from the upper body only.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Greco-Roman Wrestling?

Greco-Roman wrestling is one of the four styles at the Olympics (alongside freestyle men's, freestyle women's and wheelchair). Wrestlers may only attack from the waist up — no leg trips, no leg attacks — placing enormous emphasis on huge upper-body throws and lifts. It has been contested at every modern Olympics since Athens 1896.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇫🇷 France

Estimated origin

Early 19th-century France (Napoleonic-era codification)

Olympic

Yes

Popularity

major

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified