Wrestling is a natural play activity for children. As little kids, we have all "wrestled" at one time or another. Children wrestle to have fun, never thinking of it as a skilled sport activity; some youngsters, however, do eventually practice wrestling as a highly competitive amateur sport. This sport is natural, enjoyable and stimulating for visually-impaired children as for any others.
In the United States, wrestling has probably been the most widely-practiced and popular sport for visually-impaired school boys in the country. One of the real benefits the sport offers is that it enables visually-impaired wrestlers to take advantage of the opportunity to measure their skills against both their sighted and non-sighted peers.

The rule modification that allows visually-impaired wrestlers to participate on an equal basis with their sighted opponents is very simple: CONTACT. The modification requires constant contact between blind wrestlers to be in equal conditions in a match against sighted opponents. If contact is broken, the official halts the action and places the wrestlers back in contact. It is also understood that visually-impaired wrestlers have the right to waive the contact rule and wrestle without adaptations. In the event both wrestlers are visually-impaired, they must each agree in order for the contact rule to be set aside.

Many times blind competitors are superior to their sighted challengers. This can usually be attributed to blind persons training very hard and working to become technically-competent. Interestingly, the exhilaration experienced by a blind wrestler in defeating fully-sighted opponents seems to be greater than of beating visually-impaired competitors. It seems that when visually-impaired wrestlers step onto the mat to grapple with fully-sighted wrestlers on an equal basis, we witness the purest form of integration and acceptance.

A few visually-impaired wrestlers whose skills are advanced enough to be consistently successful at the highest levels of competition against sighted opponents, for the most part, do not engage in competitions that are conducted exclusively for visually-impaired wrestlers.

IBSA accepts wrestling as one of its sanctioned sports. There are only three countries that currently have broad-based wrestling programs for the visually-impaired: IRAN, CANADA and the UNITED STATES. The reason for the high level of development and interest in the sport by young men in these three countries is partially due to the fact that wrestling is offered as an activity in their school systems. The technical competencies displayed by the wrestlers form Iran, Canada and the United States during the 1990 World Championship in Assen, The Netherlands, were superb and their competitive attitudes and determinations were tremendous.

It is our sincere hope that visually-impaired people in other countries throughout the world begin to practice this natural sport, with minimal modifications for the blind. Personal equipment and apparel are not expensive. And WRESTLING is fun.

N.B. New Zealand can be added to that short list of countries. Two vision impaired wrestlers at least are known of.