WRESTLING PROGRAM AT 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS IS THE SAME AS TOKYO 2020: 18 SETS OF MEDALS, 288 TOTAL ATHLETES

By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | Dec. 07, 2020, 4:32 p.m. (ET)

Today, the International Olympic Committee announced the final sports program for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. In regards to the sport of wrestling, the program for Paris will match the same exact details as the upcoming Summer Olympic in Tokyo, Japan in 2021.

Basically, wrestling at the Paris Games will have the same number of medals, the same number of athletes and the same specific weight classes as will be in effect in Tokyo.

There will once again be six medals in each of the three Olympic disciplines, men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman. In fact, the weight classes will be exactly the same as for Tokyo.

The number of athletes are exactly the same, with 96 entries in men's freestyle, 96 entries in women's freestyle and 96 entries in Greco-Roman for a total of 288 athletes. That works out to 16 athletes in each of the 18 weight classes.

Wrestling for Paris 2024 did not gain or lose in any categories in comparison to the Tokyo Games.

Click here for complete 2024 Paris Event Program

There were a number of significant changes in the 2024 Paris Olympic program, as reported by the IOC today in its press release, including:

- Exactly 50 per cent male and female participation, following on from the gender equality already achieved for Tokyo 2020, which will have 48.8 per cent female participation.

- Growth of mixed gender events, from 18 to 22, compared to Tokyo 2020.

- Skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and breaking confirmed as additional sports based on a proposal by Paris 2024. Breaking will make its Olympic debut.

- Reduction in the overall athlete quota (including all new sports) to exactly 10,500.

- Reduction in the overall number of events, with a final programme of 329 events.

According to the IOC press release, the number of athletes overall will be 592 fewer.

The 10,500-athlete quota set for Paris 2024, including new sports, will lead to an overall reduction in the number of athletes – 592 fewer compared to Tokyo 2020 (11,092). It will also lead to a reduction in the number of officials, and therefore in the overall size and complexity of the Games.

The reduction across the 28 sports has been proportionate and focused on those sports that can best absorb the reduction, whilst maintaining the universality of the Games.