Greco-Roman wrestling has been a feature of the Olympics since 1896. It is the dominant form of competition, with freestyle wrestling coming into the fold in the 1900s.

Greco-Roman wrestling can seem archaic and impenetrable to the layman – huge, powerful men locking onto one another and manoeuvring each other around a mat in some kind of massive hug.

USA’s Joe Rau, in red, walks off the mat after falling to Kyrgyzstan’s Uzur Dzhuzupbekov in a 97kg Greco-Roman wrestling match on Aug. 7, 2024, at Champ de Mars Arena during the Paris Olympics.

Greco-Roman wrestling runs from Aug. 6 to 7 at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris. Korea has 36 medals in wrestling at the Olympics, including 11 gold.