| Wrestling
has been popular throughout recorded history. Origins of
the sport can be traced back 15,000 years to cave
drawings in France. Early Egyptian and Babylonian
reliefs depict wrestlers using most of the holds known
to the present-day sport. In ancient Greece, wrestling
occupied a prominent place in legend and literature;
wrestling competition, brutal in many aspects, was the
supreme contest of the Olympic Games. The ancient Romans
borrowed heavily from Greek wrestling, but eliminated
much of its brutality. During the Middle Ages wrestling
remained popular and enjoyed the patronage of many royal
houses, including those of France, Japan, and England.
Early American settlers
brought a strong wrestling tradition with them from
England. The colonists also found wrestling quite
popular among the Native Americans. Amateur wrestling
flourished throughout the early years of the nation, and
served as a popular activity at country fairs, holiday
celebrations, and in military exercises. Of the early
American styles, only the catch-as-catch-can style
survives, and it has evolved into the modern form of
collegiate wrestling.
Many
popular figures from American history were said to be
avid wrestlers and fierce competitors. Abraham Lincoln
was one of the first heroes of the wrestling world and
was said to have gone 12 years with only a single loss.
Abraham Lincoln became a local legend in rural
Illinois
for beating a long list of opponents in rough-and-tumble
bouts. George Washington was also a wrestler during the
colonial times. He was one of the first young men to
attend what is said to be the first organized wrestling
school at Reverend James Maury’s Academy in
Fredericksburg
,
Virginia
. Other notable figures in history that participated in
organized wrestling were Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor,
Ulysses S. Grant, Chester A. Arthur, Howard Taft, and
Theodore Roosevelt. These men and many others like them
helped shape wrestling into the popular sport it is
today.
The first organized
national wrestling tournament was held in New York City
in 1888, while the first wrestling competition in the
modern Olympic Games was held in 1904 in Saint Louis,
Missouri. FILA was founded in 1912 in Antwerp, Belgium.
The first NCAA Wrestling Championships were also held in
1912 in Ames, Iowa. USA Wrestling became the national
governing body of amateur wrestling in 1983, and
conducts competitions for all age levels.
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