What are the rules for classifying athletes in wrestling events?

The MartialMatch system allows you to organize events in various formats, including wrestling. Below you will find information on the rules for classifying athletes in wrestling events.

Bracket types used in wrestling

In the MartialMatch system, various types of brackets are available that can be used during events. A full description of all possible brackets can be found here.

In wrestling, the following bracket systems are used:

• If we have two athletes in a category, it is immediately a final fight. Here the situation is simple, the winner of the fight takes first place and the loser second.
• Round-robin: in situations where we have from 3 to 5 athletes.
• Group system: two pools each with 3-4 people, plus an elimination bracket that ends with two 3rd places.
• For a larger number of athletes, the double elimination with two 3rd places is used. Each athlete is guaranteed two fights. If we lose the first fight, we fight for 3rd place.
• The repechage by finalists system may also be used. The bracket is split into two halves, each producing one finalist. An athlete beaten by the eventual finalist of their half gets a second chance in a repechage bracket, fighting for a place in the bronze medal fight.

Scoring fights in wrestling

In wrestling, the fight lasts 2 rounds of two/three minutes, with 30-second breaks. Athletes are judged by referees for actions performed during the fight and are rewarded with technical points.

After the fight, the referee gives the final verdict, awarding large points to the athletes. This is, for example, pinning the opponent to the mat, which gives 5:0 to the winner.

When the fights in the category are over, the MartialMatch system immediately presents the full results.

The rules for classifying athletes in the "Round-robin" system

Dedicated article on classification in the round-robin system can be found here.

The rules for classifying athletes in the group system

In the group system, athletes first fight in groups. Groups are based on round-robin rules. Then the group winners advance to the final. Athletes who took second and third place in the groups are mixed together and fight for 3rd places.

The rules for classifying athletes in the double elimination with two 3rd places system

In this system, we have two brackets: winners and losers. In the winners bracket, we can reach the final and take first or second place.

In the losers bracket, we fight for two 3rd places.

Athletes who lost the fights for the 3rd places take the 5th places.

Then the rest of the athletes are sorted according to the large and technical points scored in all fights. Such places start from the 7th place.

The rules for classifying athletes in the repechage by finalists system

In this system, the bracket is split into two halves. An athlete eliminated by someone who is not their half's eventual finalist stays at the position reached in the draw and does not get a further chance to be classified. An athlete eliminated by the eventual finalist enters that half's repechage bracket instead.

The winner of the final takes 1st place, the loser takes 2nd place.

The winners of the repechage fights for 3rd place take 3rd place (there are two 3rd places — one per half — unless the category is set up with a single, decisive 3rd place fight between both halves' repechage winners; in that case the winner takes 3rd place and the loser takes 4th place).

Athletes who lost the fight that led directly to the 3rd place fight take 5th place (there are two 5th places).

For events where full classification with the complete field is required, the rest of the athletes can also be sorted according to the large and technical points scored in all fights, the same way as in the double elimination system. Such places start from the 7th place.

Resolving ties when points are equal

Occasionally, two athletes end up with the exact same large and technical points beyond the medal places — this applies to both the double elimination with two 3rd places and the repechage by finalists systems. When that happens, the athlete who won their direct fight is ranked higher. If the two athletes never fought each other, the tie is resolved by the order in which they were registered.