Wrestling: Below-the-waist sport boasts ancient origins

Let's be clear about one thing. The Commonwealth wrestling that got under way at the G-MEX Centre yesterday was not Graeco-Roman but "free freestyle".

The difference was explained to the odd collection of people gathered in the echoing void of what used to be Manchester's Central station by a folksy American voice belonging to one Ed Aliverti.

Aliverti is an ex-wrestler and veteran wrestling commentator with experience at events such as the Olympics and world championships. But the patter which he presented to an audience polarised between expert followers and innocent bystanders was not commentary as those who once watched ITV's World of Sport ever knew it. There were no Giant Haystacks pratfalls, or "he's behind you, Mick'' moments here.

This, as Aliverti explained, hucksterishly, was the real deal.

"They refer to this as the oldest sport in the world, ladies and gentlemen,'' he said. "And they have got artistic evidence that it goes back some 15,000 years.''

On that bombshell, Aliverti switched attention to the pair of men in what looked like Victorian bathing costumes who were locked head to head.

"Ladies and gentlemen,'' Aliverti began, "you just saw the official put up his blue arm. He's calling passivity here, which can count against a wrestler...''

In Graeco-Roman wrestling legs are used only as something to stand on. "In other words,'' Aliverti explained, "all the action is from the waist up.'' Free freestyle allows legs to be used actively; it is, if you like, a below-the-waist sport.

That thought reverberated uncomfortably as the freestyle action played out. Two men collapse, entangled. One returns to the centre of the mat and gets on to his hands and knees. The other moves behind him. The action resumes...

But let's talk about something else.

Wrestling was among the events at the first Commonwealth Games in Hamilton 72 years ago and was making a return yesterday after an eight-year absence. Since these Games began, England has produced only four wrestling gold medallists – the last being Noel Loban in 1986 – in an event traditionally dominated by nations such as India and Canada, who won nine out of 10 titles on their home ground of Victoria in 1994.

England's squad in Manchester includes experience in the form of John Melling, a silver medallist in the 62kg class in Canada, who was in action at the 66kg level yesterday. The youngest member of the team, at 19, is Jatinder Singh, and his opening victory over Malta's Abraham Vassallo was exuberantly celebrated by a family group which was literally beating a drum for its boy.

Drum beater-in-chief was Jatinder's 26-year-old brother Darvinder, who, along with Harvinder, a year his junior, had sparred with the England international since he was six years old. It was training for a young man who is currently taking a year out of a scholarship at California's Fresno State University as both brothers were national champions at junior level.

"Sport runs in our family,'' said Harvinder, pointing out his father, Harbang Singh Chata, originally from the Punjab, arrived in Britain in 1974 as a member of the Indian wrestling team and stayed over.

A family group that also included Jatinder's mother and sister had taken a couple of days away from the golf course and leisure centre they run on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.

"It's a brilliant atmosphere here,'' Harvinder said. "And we're making it!'' Cue more drumsticks from Darvinder...

Behind the stand, Andy Hutchinson, a silver medallist along with Melling at Victoria, was coming to terms with a tight 3-0 defeat by Canada's Mikheil Japaridze, which meant bronze was the best he could hope for.

"I've fought him before and he's very difficult to break down,'' said Hutchinson, who now lives and competes in Calgary and who reckons England have three to four medal shots. "It's going to be difficult,'' he said. "But we expect someone to come through with a gold.''

Meanwhile, Aliverti was sharing another snippet of information with the G-MEX. "In the Olympics of 2004, ladies and gentlemen, women are going to make their first appearance in live wrestling.''

Let's please talk about something else...