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Wrestling 101: Venue

Wrestling 101: Venue
Posted at 2:52 PM, Mar 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-17 12:34:25-04

Venue

Wrestling competitions during the Tokyo Games will take place at Makuhari Messe, which is located in the Chiba Prefecture just outside of Tokyo.

Wrestling mat

Olympic wrestling mats are 12 meters by 12 meters (roughly 39 feet by 39 feet). The circular combat area in the middle measures 9 meters (29.5 feet) in diameter. The mat has a foam core, about 1.5 to 2.5 inches thick. It is cleaned and disinfected before every wrestling session.

Protection area

A border 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide, called the protection area, surrounds the circular wrestling area. Once in the protection area, a wrestler is considered out-of-bounds. Each time a wrestler in the standing position puts a foot on the protection area, his/her opponent will receive one technical point.

Passivity zone

Just inside the out-of-bounds line is an orange band, 1 meter wide (3 feet, 3 inches), called the "passivity zone." A wrestler consistently backing into this zone is considered passive and will be penalized. If both wrestlers step into the zone with no action in progress, they are returned to the center for a fresh start.

Wrestling zone

Inside the orange band is the central wrestling area, measuring 7 meters (approximately 23 feet) in diameter. The central wrestling area is primarily dark blue in color. In the center of the mat there is a starting circle, 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches) in diameter.

Corners

Diagonally opposite corners of the mat are marked red or blue. Before the match, the wrestler assigned to wear the red singlet reports to the red corner, and the wrestler wearing blue goes to the blue corner. During the match, each wrestler's coaches reside in the respective corners, which is where the wrestlers return in between periods. They exit their corners at the referee's command.