International wrestling rules starting in 2005
  1. Each weight division will be contested in a single day.
  2. A match will consist of three 2-minute periods.
  3. A wrestler must win two periods or pin his/her opponent to win the match; the total score of all three periods does not matter. Each period starts with a 0-0 score.
  4. If a wrestler wins the first two periods, the match is over at the conclusion of the second period.
  5. A pin ends the match, even if only one period has been wrestled.
  6. If an athlete steps out of bounds, his/her opponent receives one point unless he/she was in the process of scoring technical points when he/she stepped out.
  7. A 6-point lead in a single period constitutes a technical superiority for that round only, and the round ends once that lead is reached.
  8. A wrestler who scores a 5-point throw automatically wins that period.
  9. A wrestler who scores two 3-point holds in a single period automatically wins that period.
  10. Any period that ends 0-0 goes to the clinch. The Greco-Roman clinch is the same as in the past. In freestyle, the winner of a coin toss will grab a single-leg position and action will begin.
  11. All clinches last for 30 seconds.
  12. If a period ends in a tie with points scored, the following criteria will determine the winner of that period:
  13. Classification points for matches is:
  14. Consecutive gut wrenches and ankle laces are permitted.
  15. Only athletes who lose to a wrestler that makes it into the gold-medal finals will be entered in the wrestleback round ("repechage").
  16. The recovery time between matches has been reduced to 15 minutes.