Wrestling at the 1948 Summer Olympics

The 1948 wrestling tournament took place in the Empress Hall, at Earls Court. This venue hosted boxing preliminaries, weightlifting, and gymnastics, in addition to wrestling, at the 1948 Olympics. The Earls Court Exhibition Centre originally opened in 1887 and was rebuilt in 1937. It has been a premier exhibition hall in London for many years and, in 2012, also hosted the volleyball tournaments at the next London Olympics. In late 2013, plans were made to demolish the venue to make way for a new residential and retail site. The wrestling events were originally scheduled for Harringay Arena, but a large basketball schedule to be held there necessitated moving the mat events to Empress Hall.

The wrestling programme was expanded in 1948, adding an eighth class for both freestyle and Greco-Roman. This was a flyweight class, and the weight limits for the lower classes were adjusted slightly. The tournaments were again conducted using a negative (bad) point system. A win by fall earned 0 points, while winning by unanimous decision gained the wrestler 1 point. A loss by majority decision (2-1) cost 2 points, and a loss by unanimous decision or fall cost 3 points. Wrestlers were eliminated when they accumulated 5 points, so effectively the event was a double elimination tournament.

Sweden and Turkey dominated wrestling in 1948, with Sweden winning 13 medals and five gold medals, while Turkey won 11 medals and six gold medals. They also were the top nations in each style, with both winning six freestyle medals, although Turkey won four freestyle golds, while Sweden was shut-out. Sweden won seven Greco-Roman medals and five medals, with Turkey winning five Greco medals and two events.