Ssireum | KINDS OF SPORTS | 5th World Nomad Games Astana 2024

Traditional wrestling in South Korea. A type of belt wrestling in which wrestlers, holding each other by the original belt (satpa) wrapped around the waist and hips, try to knock each other to the ground, using a wide variety of freestyle wrestling techniques. The platform for fighting ssireum, called “ssireum jang”, is a bulk one and has the shape of a circle. The height of the sand layer is from 10 to 20 cm.

Participants fight barefoot, dressed only in short wrestling trunks, over which a satba belt is tied. It is made of durable cotton fabric and is about two meters long. The satba is tied in such a way that it covers the wrestler’s right thigh with a ring, which is used to grab, and then goes around the lower back. As for the grip itself, there is a “right ssireum”, when the right hand of each wrestler lies on top of the opponent’s left hand, and “left ssirim”, when, on the contrary, the left hand lies on top of the right.

To win ssireum, you must force your opponent to touch the ground with any part of the body above the knee. Unlike Japanese sumo, pushing an opponent out of a limited area (janga) is not considered a victory. In this case, the wrestlers are simply returned to their original position. In ssireum, wrestling begins with the opponents kneeling in the center of the jang and taking a mutual grip, with the right hand grabbing the belt at the opponent’s waist, and the left hand grabbing the belt loop on his right thigh. Then the wrestlers stand up and wait for the signal to start the fight, which lasts 3 minutes.

In ssireum, blows, kicks and painful techniques on the joints are prohibited; only throws using the body, hips, arms and legs are allowed. Since the grip on the satba belt is maintained until any throw is carried out, grabbing the legs with the hands is not practiced in ssireum.

Team line-up: 3 athletes, 1 coach, 1 referee.

Athletes 18 years of age and older are allowed to compete.

Competitions are held among men up to 80 kg, up to 90 kg, absolute weight category.

One athlete is allowed in each weight category.

The competition is held according to the rules of the World Ssireum Federation.