Issue Date: May 2, 1996
City: Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA
Quantity: 16,207,500
Printed By: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 10.1
Color: Multicolored

 

The goal in wrestling is to “pin” your opponent’s shoulders flat to the floor. The match, as the competition is called, takes place on a mat, and lasts for two 3-minute periods. Wrestlers use various types of take downs and holds to control their opponents.

 

There are two types of Olympic wrestling: freestyle, adopted in 1904; and Greco-Roman, present at the first games in 1896. Freestyle wrestling, the most popular type in America, allows the wrestler to grasp his opponent with, and by, the legs. In Greco-Roman wrestling, the legs are not used to grasp the opponent, and no holds are allowed below the waist. Both styles have 10 weight classes which fall between 105.5 pounds and a maximum limit of 286 pounds.

 

Three officials direct each match. Points are awarded to a wrestler for skillful execution of holds and maneuvers. The match ends after six minutes, or when one wrestler is pinned. If there is no pin, the wrestler with the most points wins. Each man is then awarded a certain number of “bad” or penalty points, for the match. For example: a win by a pin earns no bad points; loss by disqualification earns four. Wrestlers with six or more bad points are eliminated, and the remaining competitors face off in a final round.