Because wrestling has a long and storied history at the Olympics, the rules of the sport have understandably evolved over time. Read on to find out the details you need to know ahead of the 2024 Games in Paris.

The match starts with the wrestlers on their feet, facing each other one meter (3 feet, 3 inches) apart. It then consists of two periods each lasting three minutes. Between the two periods will be a 30-second break. Scoring is cumulative, meaning that points scored in both periods will be added together to determine a winner.

The main objective in wrestling is to pin the opponent, which is achieved by holding his or her shoulder blades to the mat for about a second. A pin, also known as a "fall," automatically ends the match. A wrestler who does not pin the opponent during a match must accumulate more points — awarded for performing techniques or moves within the rules — to win the bout.

A wrestler can win by technical fall by demonstrating superiority before time runs out. The threshold for a victory by technical fall is a 10-point lead in freestyle wrestling and an 8-point lead in Greco-Roman wrestling.

A match could also end if one of the wrestlers receives a third caution and gets disqualified, or if one wrestler is forced to withdraw to due to injury.

Below are examples of some of the most common ways that wrestlers can earn points during a match. For a more comprehensive list, be sure to read the article on how scoring works in Olympic wrestling.

• 1 point: Generally awarded to a wrestler to penalize their opponent for some infraction (stepping out of the ring, failing to score while on the shot clock, losing a challenge, being passive in Greco-Roman, etc.)
• 2 points: Awarded to a wrestler for executing a takedown, rolling an opponent onto their shoulders, exposing the opponent's back to the mat, etc.
• 4 points: Awarded for an action that doesn't quite meet the criteria for a 5-point grand amplitude throw as defined below (for example, if a wrestler in the standing position executes a move that brings their opponent into a danger position but doesn't lift them off the ground)
• 5 points: Awarded for a grand amplitude throw, defined as such: Any action or hold by a wrestler in the standing position that causes their opponent to lose all contact with the ground, controls them, moves them in a broadly sweeping curve in the air, and brings them to the ground in a direct and immediate danger position

If the athletes are tied, the winner will be declared using "criteria." Criteria is determined using the following order of priority:

1. Highest value of holds: The wrestler who scored the most points on a single hold is the winner. For example, a wrestler who scored a 2-point hold would beat a wrestler who scored nothing higher than 1-point holds.
2. Fewest number of cautions: If both wrestlers had equal-value holds, then number of cautions would be the next tiebreaker. A wrestler that received one caution during a match would beat a wrestler who received two cautions.
3. Last technical point(s) scored: This is the final tiebreaker in freestyle wrestling. Whichever wrestler was the last one in the match to score a point would be declared the winner.
4. Last activity: If a Greco-Roman match ends in a 0-0 scoreless tie, the victory goes to whichever wrestler was deemed to be the most active last. (Freestyle matches can't end in a 0-0 tie.)

In each style of Olympic wrestling, the rules for both are virtually identical. The primary difference is that in Greco-Roman, a wrestler may not attack his opponent below the waist, nor use his own legs to trip, lift or execute other holds. In freestyle, both the arms and legs are used to execute holds.

Women's freestyle uses the same rules as men's freestyle, with one exception: Wrestlers are not allowed to use neck holds (double nelsons) on their opponents.

Both wrestlers are required to always give an all-out effort. Wrestlers showing less than total effort are considered "passive." This can occur because a wrestler is cautious, prefers to counterattack and is waiting for the opponent to move, is trying to avoid risk and protect a lead, or is tired. One or both wrestlers can be considered passive. Passivity becomes obvious when a wrestler:

• does not attempt or execute any holds.
• is satisfied just to neutralize the opponent's efforts, blocking holds.
• gives the impression of not trying to initiate effective holds.
• intentionally "plays the edge," flees the mat, or pushes the opponent away to avoid wrestling.
• holds the opponent by one or both hands to prevent him or her from wrestling.
• repeatedly fakes head throws; slips off; falls to the mat; lies flat on his or her stomach; locks his or her legs around the opponent's leg.
• in Greco-Roman wrestling, engages in combat with head thrust forward in order to prevent "body-to-body" contact.

If the referee believes a wrestler is being passive, he issues a verbal warning to that wrestler on the first offense. In freestyle wrestling, on the second infraction, the passive wrestler is put on a 30-second "shot clock." If neither wrestler scores at the end of those 30 seconds, then the opponent of the passive wrestler is awarded a point, and the passive wrestler receives a caution. If neither competitor has scored after the first two minutes of the opening period of a freestyle match, the referee is obligated to designate a passive wrestler and place them on the shot clock.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, after the first verbal warning for passivity, the active wrestler can choose whether to continue the match in a standing or "par terre" (ground) position. For any subsequent passivity violations, there will also be a point awarded to the active wrestler. When a Greco-Roman match ends in a scoreless tie, the referee will award the victory to whichever wrestler they considered to be the most active last.

Cautions are penalties that can be issued to wrestlers for a number of infractions that include:

• fleeing the mat
• fleeing a hold
• refusal to start
• illegal or brutal hold (detailed further below)

Cautions can be accompanied by the awarding of points to the opponent, with the number of points depending on the severity. If a wrestler receives three cautions during a match, that wrestler will be disqualified. If a match ends in a tie, cautions are one of the criteria used in tiebreaking. A caution can be challenged by request.

Punishing or brutal holds are illegal. They include choking; twisting of fingers, arms, toes or feet; striking the opponent with an elbow or knee; butting with the head; pulling hair; pinching; and/or biting. Certain holds on the head, arms or legs are prohibited because of extreme danger to the vertebrae and joints. These include headlocks without an arm included to bring an opponent's arm behind his or her back at an acute angle (hammerlock), a move that applies severe pressure to the neck or spine. The most dangerous hold is driving the opponent headfirst into the mat from standing position.

In freestyle, leg scissors with the feet crossed may not be applied to the head, neck or body, although it may be used on an opponent's arm or leg. In Greco-Roman, any use of the legs — on offense or defense — is illegal. The most common violations in Greco-Roman are defensive use of the legs to stop a lift or throws, and offensive use of the legs to help a lift or throw.

A wrestler is not allowed to gain an advantage from use of an illegal hold. If the illegal hold helps them score, the whole action is erased and they are penalized. If the illegal hold fails to keep the opponent from scoring, the opponent gets the points he or she earned, plus a one-point penalty. There are no negative points assessed in wrestling, so any illegal actions performed by a competitor result in a point being awarded to the opponent.

Coaches are allowed to challenge decisions made by the referees. The coach will throw a soft object onto the mat to get the attention of the mat chairman, who will stop the match once the action becomes neutral (neither wrestler actively has a competitive advantage). If the wrestler disagrees with his coach's decision to challenge, he can cancel the challenge, and the match will resume.

Challenges can be issued in situations where the coach believes either that the opposing wrestler was incorrectly awarded points, or that the referee incorrectly failed to award points to the coach's wrestler. Pins and penalties given for passive wrestling can not be challenged though. Challenges must be made within five seconds of the score (or lack thereof) in question.

Challenges are limited to one per wrestler per match. If the wrestler wins the challenge, the score will be adjusted, and that wrestler will retain his challenge for future use; if the wrestler loses the challenge, his competitor will receive one technical point.

Reviews will be made by the Jury of Appeal, which watches video replays in order to render a decision. If the Jury of Appeal renders a unanimous decision, that decision is final; if members of the Jury of Appeal disagree, then another review will be requested, after which majority decision will prevail.