The Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers for Paris Olympics 2024 scheduled to be held next year will not have gold or bronze medal bouts. The United World Wrestling, the world governing body, approved a new format for the qualifying tournament.
There will be four continental qualifiers and also a world qualifier next year before the Olympics. According to UWW, without the medal bouts, the winners of the two semifinalists in each of the qualification events will make the cut for the 2024 Games.
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All the five qualifiers will have four seeds in each weight class. The two semifinal winners will earn direct quotas. Meanwhile, the winners of the bronze-medal bouts will compete for the third quota in each of the six weight categories in three styles at the Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers.
So far, some wrestlers have qualified through the World Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia in September this year. The tournament had offered five quota places in each of the six weight categories in three styles. Among the Indians, only Antim Panghal has won a Paris Games quota with a bronze medal in Belgrade.
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When and where will the Wrestling Olympic qualifiers be held?
The continental qualification tournament offers 144 quotas for the Olympics. The qualifiers will get underway with the Pan-American Qualifiers in Acapulco, Mexico from February 28 to March 1.
African & Oceania Qualifiers will be held in Alexandria, Egypt from March 22-24. The European Qualifiers in Baku, Azerbaijan are scheduled to take place from April 4-7. The Asian Qualifiers will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 19-21 while the World Olympic Qualifier will be held in Istanbul, Turkiye from May 9-12.
