and Boxing
and Boxing
Wrestling
Part
of the Olympic games since 1904, wrestling is a sport only for men which tests strength,
and is played based upon one's
body weight in which two unarmed opponents grasp each other firmly. The object is
to secure a fall, i.e., cause the opponent to lose balance and fall to the
floor, and ultimately to pin the opponent’s shoulders to the floor,
through the use of body grips, strength, and skillfulness.
One of the most ancient and universal sports, wrestling was probably
known in prehistoric times.
The Greeks trained two kinds of
wrestling; ground and upright. The most famous wrestler was Milo of Crotona.
The tournaments were held in
Medieval Europe, and the sport has been popular
throughout history.
For centuries wrestling has been
the center of life for the Nuba in Africa, who only wrestle after covering
themselves with symbolic ashes. In
the established Turkish style of Pehlivan, wrestlers wear leather breeches and
cover themselves with oil.
Boxing
Boxing
was first a sport in Egypt around 3000 BC.
When it first arrived in the Ancient Olympic Games, the equipment of the
trade were strips of leather wrapped around boxers' fists. The fight continued
until one man or the other went down or conceded.
Only in 1920 did boxing return to the Olympic Games to stay. Hence, Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay at the time) and Teofilo Stevenson (a three-time gold medallist) could join names like Theagenes of Thassos and Cleitomachus of Thebes among the legends.
The
boxers wear heavily padded gloves and fight in a square,
roped-off area called a ring. A
good bout between two well-matched fighters is a fast, violent display of strength and skill.
The boxers throw powerful punches as each tries to dominate his opponent.
At the same time, each boxer must guard his head and body against the
opponent's punches by
dodging or blocking the blows. There
are several ways to win a fight. The action may range all over the ring as the
fighters weave about or press forward to create openings for
blows. Good boxers must be strong, quick, skillful, and in excellent
physical condition. They also should have the courage and determination to fight
in spite of pain and exhaustion. Boxers fight as amateurs or professionals.
Most amateurs compete as
Today, only the top professional championship bouts and competition in boxing during the Olympic Games regularly draw widespread attention from the public.
All players are ranked according to the following body weights:
+91 kg (super
heavyweight) Men
- 48 kg
(light-flyweight) Men
48 - 51 kg (flyweight) Men
51 - 54 kg
(bantamweight) Men
54 - 57 kg
(featherweight) Men
57 - 60 kg
(lightweight) Men
60-63.5
kg (lightwelterweight) Men
63.5 - 67 kg
(welterweight) Men
67 - 71 kg
(light-middleweight) Men
71 - 75 kg
(middleweight ) Men
75 - 81 kg
(light-heavyweight) Men
81 - 91 kg
(heavyweight) Men
Boxing has been criticized as a dangerous sport
because of the
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