Wrestling at Asian Games 2026: What is Repechage

Wrestling awards two bronze medals in a weight class when there are eight or more wrestlers in the bracket, with the same system set to be followed at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

In an eight-or-more-wrestler bracket, the two wrestlers who lose their semifinal bouts advance directly to the bronze-medal bouts. Their opponents are determined through repechage.

What is repechage in wrestling?

Repechage is a system that gives certain wrestlers who have lost a bout another chance to compete for a bronze medal.

All wrestlers who lost to either of the two finalists enter repechage. They are divided into two separate groups: one comprising wrestlers who lost to the finalist from the upper half of the bracket, and the other comprising those who lost to the finalist from the bottom half.

Read More: Wrestling History at Asian Games 

Repechage begins with wrestlers who lost in the first round, including qualification bouts. It follows a knockout format, with winners advancing through successive rounds until one wrestler reaches the bronze-medal bout against the loser of the corresponding semifinal. The winner of that bout earns a bronze medal.

For example, a wrestler who loses in the first round can enter repechage if the opponent who defeated them reaches the final. They then face other wrestlers who lost to that finalist, with the winner advancing until the bronze-medal bout.

Read More: Nine Years, 153 Straight Wins Ago, Fujinami's Last Loss

Wrestlers in repechage must weigh in again on the second morning of competition when the weight class is contested over two days. Repechage is held only when the original bracket has eight or more wrestlers.