Wrestling Championship Gets Underway In Turkey

More than 900 wrestlers are participating in the 2011 World Wrestling Championship, which got underway in Istanbul, Turkey, this week.

The opening marked the start of the quest for glories for wrestlers from 104 countries and regions, who are also looking to book their places at the London 2012 Olympics.

Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Senegal, Kazakhstan, Japan, Ukraine and Turkey are the countries with participants in every available category.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was among the dignitaries present at the opening ceremony.

The competition is being held in different weight classes in the categories of men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman and female wrestling.

The competition is being held at the Sinan Erdem Dome, which has a capacity of 16,000.

The FILA 2011 Senior World Championship will run through Sept. 18 at the end of which the top six in each Olympic weight category will secure a place for their delegations at the London Olympics.

At the end of the championship, the nationality of the first 108 participants in the Olympic Games will be known with 42 qualified wrestlers in freestyle, 42 in Greco-Roman, and 24 in female wrestling.