USA Wrestling’s Executive Committee addressed the issue of implementation of the new FILA international wrestling rules at the U.S. World Team Trials during its regularly scheduled teleconference on June 10.

The Executive Committee approved a recommendation presented by the Freestyle Sports Committee for a modification of the FILA rules concerning how a match would be decided if the score was tied at the end of regulation. For the men’s freestyle portion of the World Team Trials only, bouts which are tied will go into an immediate unlimited overtime, with the match concluded with the first point scored. This includes any point awarded including a fleeing the hold call.

This recommendation was presented after considerable discussion and review by the athletes, coaches and leaders within the men’s freestyle program, and extensive evaluation by the Freestyle Sports Committee. The men’s freestyle community felt strongly that this may be the best way to determine a winner after a tie. Data collected from the World Team Trials will be shared with FILA as part of its continued review of the new international wrestling rules for future consideration as the rules evolve.

The Executive Committee also approved a joint recommendation by the Greco-Roman Sports Committee and the Women’s Sports Committee to use the existing FILA criteria for determining the winner of a match that is tied at the end of regulation during the World Team Trials.

The men’s freestyle overtime modification will be the only modification of the FILA rules in effect during the U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Stillwater, Okla., June 21-22. All other aspects of the FILA rules will be implemented in full.

The Executive Committee also addressed the rules to be used at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Greco-Roman and men’s freestyle in Stillwater, Okla. on June 23. The FILA rules will be used without modification on the FILA Junior level for both styles, with all tied matches determined by FILA criteria. 

The U.S. FILA Junior Women’s Team has already been determined based upon results of Body Bar FILA Junior Women’s Nationals in Lakeland, Fla. in early May, before the international rules were changed.

You can see the entire FILA wrestling rules at the link below:
New FILA Wrestling Rules as of June 7, 2013

The Executive Board also confirmed the decision of the Junior Olympic Wrestling Committee to use the rules it had accepted in its recent meeting and were in effect at the recent Schoolboy National Duals in Indianapolis, Ind. 

In these rules, the technical fall will be seven points for Greco-Roman and 10 for freestyle. The recently enacted FILA rule in which two three-point moves ends a match, and a five-point move ends the match when leading will not be used. Tie matches will be decided by criteria.

These are the same rules which were used by USA Wrestling at the United 4 Wrestling event in Los Angeles, the University/FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron, Ohio and the Battle At the Falls in Niagara Falls, Canada. These rules will be used for the remaining age-group wrestling competitions on the USA Wrestling national schedule, including the remaining National Duals on the Cadet and Junior levels, the Kids Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals and the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet Nationals.

The reason for staying with the rules as implemented is to remain consistent throughout the program with the rules which have been used in competition and in training for the age-group coaches and athletes as well as enforced by the officials.