MEN’S WRESTLING AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES, 1896–2024: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF MEDAL DISTRIBUTION, COMPETITIVE CONCENTRATION, AND HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATION

Автор(и)

  • Mehmet Yıldız Gazi University, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v13i7.7069

Ключові слова:

Olympic wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, Olympic Games, medal distribution, competitive concentration

Анотація

The aim of this study was to examine the historical development of men’s Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling competitions from the 1896 Athens Olympic Games to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the medal performances of Olympic delegations, and changes in the concentration of medal success over time. The study was designed as descriptive research based on the historical research method and secondary data analysis. Data on Olympic wrestling competitions were compiled from historical results published by United World Wrestling (UWW). Results from men’s Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling competitions were evaluated by Olympic year, wrestling style, and Olympic delegation. Historical performance rankings were determined primarily according to the number of gold medals, followed by silver and bronze medals. The Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), normalized HHI, Four-Delegation Concentration Ratio (CR4), and Gini coefficient were used to assess concentration and inequality in medal distribution. The main quantitative analyses were restricted to official editions of the Olympic Games; the 1906 Athens Intercalated Games were excluded from the primary analyses. The findings indicate that medal success in men’s Olympic wrestling was concentrated among a limited number of delegations during the early periods, whereas competition gradually expanded to a broader international base as the number of medal-winning countries increased over time. In the historical ranking based on gold medals, the Soviet Union ranked first, while the United States recorded the highest total number of medals. Türkiye also ranked among the leading delegations in terms of historical gold-medal success. Long-term changes in the HHI, normalized HHI, and CR4 indicate that medal concentration, particularly in the modern period, declined compared with the early Olympic Games. Nevertheless, periodic fluctuations demonstrate that the transformation of the competitive structure was not linear. In conclusion, medal success in men’s Olympic wrestling became distributed across a broader group of countries over approximately 130 years, while certain countries maintained their historical prominence. By evaluating the history of Olympic wrestling through the combined use of long-term medal data and competitive concentration indicators, this study is expected to contribute to the literature on sport history and sport management.

Біографія автора

  • автор Mehmet Yıldız, афіліація Gazi University, Turkey

    Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yıldız is a faculty member at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Department of Physical Education and Sports Education at Gazi University. He completed his undergraduate education at Hacettepe University, School of Sport Sciences and Technology, Department of Recreation, received his master’s degree in Physical Education and Sports Education from Gazi University, and completed his doctoral studies at Gazi University Institute of Educational Sciences. His doctoral dissertation focused on the employment, studies, and impacts of foreign experts invited to Türkiye in the field of physical education and sports during the Republican period (1923–1973). Dr. Yıldız’s academic research primarily focuses on physical education and sports pedagogy, sports history, Turkish educational history, sports sociology, and the modernization of physical education in Türkiye. His studies particularly examine the historical development of physical education and sports institutions, foreign experts in Turkish sports history, educational reforms in sports sciences, and contemporary approaches in physical education teaching. He has published numerous academic articles, book chapters, and books on sports history, physical education teacher training, educational policies, artificial intelligence applications in sports sciences, and the historical development of Turkish sports institutions. Among his notable works are Türkiye’ye Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Alanında Gelen Yabancı Uzmanlar (1923–1973) and studies related to the history of wrestling and sports education in Türkiye. In addition to his academic studies, Dr. Yıldız has served in various academic and administrative positions, including Vice Dean, Deputy Head of Department, and Deputy Director at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Gazi University. He continues to teach undergraduate courses related to physical education teaching methods, Turkish educational history, research methods, and sports sciences

Посилання

Bain, J. S. (1951). Relation of profit rate to industry concentration: American manufacturing, 1936–1940. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 65(3), 293–324. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882217

Cowell, F. A. (2011). Measuring inequality (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Measuring_Inequality.html?hl=it&id=0-V4wIGDxhIC&redir_esc=y

Gini, C. (1912). Variabilità e mutabilità: Contributo allo studio delle distribuzioni e delle relazioni statistiche. Tipografia di Paolo Cuppini. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Variabilit%C3%A0_e_mutabilit%C3%A0.html?id=fqjaBPMxB9kC&redir_esc=y

Guttmann, A. (2002). The Olympics: A history of the modern Games (2nd ed.). University of Illinois Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/The_Olympics_a_History_of_the_Modern_Gam.html?id=TbLmQQG-2bQC&redir_esc=y

Herfindahl, O. C. (1950). Concentration in the steel industry [Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University].

Hirschman, A. O. (1964). The paternity of an index. The American Economic Review, 54(5), 761–762.

Horswill, C. A. (1992). Applied physiology of amateur wrestling. Sports Medicine, 14(2), 114–143. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199214020-00004

Kraemer, W. J., Fry, A. C., Rubin, M. R., Triplett-McBride, T., Gordon, S. E., Koziris, L. P., Lynch, J. M., Volek, J. S., Meuffels, D. E., Newton, R. U., & Fleck, S. J. (2001). Physiological and performance responses to tournament wrestling. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 33(8), 1367–1378. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200108000-00019

MacAloon, J. J. (2008). This great symbol: Pierre de Coubertin and the origins of the modern Olympic Games. Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/This_Great_Symbol.html?id=shKuSgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Miller, S. G. (2004). Ancient Greek athletics. Yale University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Ancient_Greek_Athletics.html?id=3Wdh6YGXOxMC&redir_esc=y

Poliakoff, M. B. (1987). Combat sports in the ancient world: Competition, violence, and culture. Yale University Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/combatsportsinan0000poli

Riordan, J. (1977). Sport in Soviet society: Development of sport and physical education in Russia and the USSR. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sv/books?id=MDE8AAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Roche, M. (2000). Mega-events and modernity: Olympics and expos in the growth of global culture. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.7228/manchester/9781526117083.001.0001

United World Wrestling. (n.d.-a). Historical results. United World Wrestling. Retrieved from UWW Historical Results: https://uww.org/historical-results

United World Wrestling. (n.d.-b). The sport. United World Wrestling. Retrieved from United World Wrestling: https://uww.org/about-uww/sport

Young, D. C. (1996). The modern Olympics: A struggle for revival. Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/The_Modern_Olympics.html?id=HD-Z-ym56NIC&redir_esc=y

Завантаження

Опубліковано

2026-10-12

Номер

Том 13 № 7 (2026)

Розділ

Articles

Ліцензія

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).