Greco-Roman wrestling vs Karate
Greco-Roman wrestling and Karate side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Greco-Roman wrestling | Karate | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Ancient Greece | Ryukyu Kingdom |
| Type | amateur wrestling | martial arts and Olympic sport |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 24 Olympic events recorded | Yes – 10 Olympic events recorded |
| Notable practitioners here | 517 | 878 |
| Top countries of practitioners | Russia, Soviet Union and Iran | Japan, United States and France |
| Weight classes | Yes | — |
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman (American English) (spelled Graeco- or Græco- in British English) or classic wrestling (European English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been part of every summer Olympic held since 1904. It is one of the two forms of wrestling contested at the Olympics, the other being freestyle wrestling.
From the Wikipedia article Greco-Roman wrestling (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Karate
Karate (空手) (; Japanese pronunciation: [kaɾate] ; Okinawan pronunciation: [kaɾati]), also karate-do (空手道, Karate-dō), is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手), "hand"; tī in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
From the Wikipedia article Karate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q389654, Q11419. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.