Wrestling: UWW approves new format for 2024 Paris Olympics Qualifiers

All five qualifiers will now have four seeds and no gold-medal bouts in each of the weight classes, with the finalists qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Published : Nov 14, 2023 07:55 IST , Chennai - 1 MIN READ

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: India’s Amit Kumar, red, and Iran’s Hassan Sabzali Rahimi, blue, compete during a 55-kg men’s freestyle wrestling competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics. | Photo Credit: Paul Sancya/ AP

United World Wrestling (UWW) on Monday, announced a new format for the continental and world qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics next year.

All five qualifiers will now have four seeds and no gold-medal bouts in each of the weight categories.

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For the four continental qualifiers beginning with the Pan-American Qualifiers in Acapulco, Mexico in February, the semifinal bouts will serve as the qualification bouts for the Paris Olympics. Therefore, there will be no repechage, bronze and gold medal matches in these events.

The finalists in each weight category during these qualifiers will earn a spot in the 2024 Games.

For the World Qualifier to be held in Turkey in May, winners of the semifinal bouts will directly qualify for the 2024 Olympics. The two winners of the bronze-medal bouts will compete with each other for a third quota in each weight category.

The repechage rounds will be conducted during the World Qualifiers but there will be no gold medal matches.

India’s Antim Panghal in the only wrestler so far to book her place in Paris 2024 in the women’s 53kg event.

As things stand, the Indians will compete under the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) flag after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was suspended for delaying its election.