Wrestling
has been popular throughout recorded
history. Origins of the sport can be traced back 15,000 years to cave
drawings in France. At a time when every
single day of life was an exploit in itself, wrestling was used in attack
and defense, in hunting but also in determining the seniority and
leadership with given social groups.
Early Egyptian and Babylonian wall paintings depict wrestlers
using most of the holds known to the present-day sport. In ancient
Greece,
wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend and literature; wrestling
competition, brutal in many aspects, was the supreme contest of the Olympic
Games. For detailed accounts of wrestling
through the ages, along with other martial arts see Chronological
history, Martial
Arts Origins or European
Martial Arts History
Styles Unique versions of the sport developed around the world. In the Viking era,
forms of Backhold and Trouser
wrestling were practiced in Scandinavia and Glima
developed in Iceland, where it is now recognised as the national sport.
There are written records of Sumo
in Japan from the 8th Century. In
the UK, styles varied around the country and still exist today.
The
Lancashire or 'Catch as catch
can' was introduced to
America
by the Scottish professional strongman Donald Dinnie in the 1870's.
His trips were soon followed by the Lancashire wrestlers Joseph Acton,
Edwin Bibby and Tom Cannon. In Turkey, Oil
Wrestling developed. For further information , see different
wrestling styles or wrestling
styles. See full
listing and links.
Pro-Wrestling
developed
in America in the early 20th Century and there were a number of successful
court cases against promoters, some of whom were jailed for defrauding the
public. Nowadays, Show Wrestling is usually promoted as 'sports entertainment'
to prevent legal action.
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We have an excellent librarian for Amateur Wrestling. Ask Wullie, our librarian. if you need help, but check the links here first. |
 FILA
was founded as a result of international dis-satisfaction
with the incompetent and biased refereeing at the Stockholm Olympic
Games in 1912. Feminine Wrestling is developing very fast throughout the world. 87 out of 142 affiliated countries in the FILA have a section for female wrestling. The first international competitions for women were organised in 1984 International competition, and particularly the Olympic movement led to the rapid technical development of Greco-Roman and Free style which are controlled by F.I.L.A |
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The major International Events are the World Championships, controlled by FILA or the Olympic Games. There are also European Championships; European Championships in Celtic Wrestling; Student World Championships.; Asian Games and the Calendar of World Wrestling Events. |
For
news and information on Amateur Wresting, see the above International sites
or National sites on the General
Links page
Suggested sites (see
also General Links)
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Contact us if you feel that important sites have been omitted