BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — Having regained its Olympic status, wrestling will get its first chance to show off new scoring rules when the world championships start Monday in Budapest.
Wrestling was cut from the list of Olympic core sports in February. However, the sport was voted back into the games last weekend by the International Olympic Committee at a meeting in Buenos Aires.
Nenad Lalovic, president of the international wrestling federation FILA, said Sunday the sport has "learned" from its brief exclusion and introduced changes to become "one of the most interesting sports."
American Jordan Burroughs, the defending Olympic and world champion, will try to extend his streak of 60 consecutive victories in the freestyle 163-pound category. The Japanese women's team, which won three of the four medals at stake at the 2012 London Olympics, is also expected to dominate in Budapest.
Lalovic said the sport will try to become more entertaining for casual fans, something he promised would be on display at the opening presentation Monday at the Laszlo Papp Budapest Sport Arena.
"We have a new product," Lalovic said. "You will see it (Monday). We intend to surprise the spectators with the new wrestling."
Among the main rule changes made in the past months, bouts in the three disciplines — men's Greco-Roman, men's freestyle and women's freestyle — will consist of two three-minute rounds instead of three two-minute rounds. Scoring will be cumulative through the two rounds, as opposed to each round scored separately.
Also, more points will be awarded for attacking moves and there will be no overtime. If there is a tie, the last wrestler to score a point will win.
Some of the changes are meant to encourage a more aggressive style of wrestling and to make it easier for spectators to understand the points system.
Lalovic said feedback from the wrestlers about the new scoring system had been "fantastic" because it rewards action over defense.
"They are satisfied. They have started to wrestle again and they like to wrestle," Lalovic said.
Lalovic said the effects of new rules were most evident in Greco-Roman wrestling, where scoring has increased 171 percent in recent tournaments and results like 20-18 were not uncommon.
While there are seven weight categories in each discipline at the world championships, competition at the Olympics will be in six categories per discipline.
Lalovic said FILA will decide what weight classes will be used at the Olympics by the end of October.
Hungary is hosting the world championships for the fifth time since 1958. The event ends next Sunday.
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