At the 2025 European Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Bratislava, a new rule was tested, sparking lively debate in the wrestling community. Now, in bouts that end with a 1–1 tie, victory is awarded not to the wrestler who scored last—as was previously the case—but to the one who scored first. For scores of 2–2 and higher, the old rule remains: the wrestler who scored last wins.
This seemingly minor change had a significant impact on match strategy. Wrestlers began acting more aggressively from the opening seconds, aiming to seize the initiative and earn an activity point early on, which opens the door for a parterre attack. However, in some bouts, this led to a less exciting second period, as the wrestler who scored first focused on maintaining their advantage.
The tournament winner in the 55 kg category, Emin Sefershaev (Russia), supports the change:
“Absolutely—wrestling starts from the first seconds of the match. Before, some wrestlers would strategically wrestle passively in the first period, briefly turn it on at the beginning of the second, grab the activity point—and win 1–1. That won’t work now. It’s a battle of wills from the start. I think these rules suit me.”
— Sefershaev said in an interview with Tigran Avanyan (WRESTRUS.RU).
Interestingly, the total number of 1–1 bouts at the 2025 Euros was 12—slightly more than in 2024 (9), but fewer than in 2023 (13). This suggests that the rule did not increase the number of tied bouts, but it did change the approach to wrestling.
Every wrestler who won at least one 1–1 match ended up on the podium—except for Italy’s Nikoloz Kakhelashvili, who won two such bouts but lost to Artur Aleksanyan in the quarterfinals.
Wrestlers from Russia benefited the most from the rule (3 victories)—both of Russia’s champions in the 55 kg and 130 kg finals won with a 1–1 score.
Among Armenian wrestlers, only Davit Ovasapyan (130 kg) ended a match with a 1–1 score, losing to Muhammet Bakir (Turkey).
Here is the list of 1–1 bouts at the 2025 European Championships:
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55 kg, Final: Emin Sefershaev (Russia) – Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 1–1
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55 kg, Round of 16: Vakhtang Lolua (Georgia) – Koryun Sagradyan (Ukraine) 1–1
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60 kg, Quarterfinal: Sadyk Lalaev (Russia) – Ekrem Ozturk (Turkey) 1–1
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60 kg, Semifinal: Georgiy Tibilov (Serbia) – Sadyk Lalaev (Russia) 1–1
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82 kg, Round of 16: Erik Zsilvassi (Hungary) – Ruslan Abdiev (Ukraine) 1–1
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82 kg, Round of 16: Gela Bolkvadze (Georgia) – Ramon Betschart (Switzerland) 1–1
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97 kg, Round of 32: Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy) – Felix Baldauf (Norway) 1–1
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97 kg, Round of 16: Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy) – Sergey Omelin (Ukraine) 1–1
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130 kg, Round of 16: Muhammet Bakir (Turkey) – Davit Ovasapyan (Armenia) 1–1
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130 kg, Quarterfinal: Cello Kramer (Germany) – Heiki Nabi (Estonia) 1–1
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130 kg, Bronze match: Cello Kramer (Germany) – Beka Kandelaki (Azerbaijan) 1–1
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130 kg, Final: Sergey Semenov (Russia) – Muhammet Bakir (Turkey) 1–1
Category comparison statistics:
2025 Euros
Total: 12
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55 kg — 2
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60 kg — 2
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63 kg — 0
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67 kg — 0
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72 kg — 0
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77 kg — 0
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82 kg — 2
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87 kg — 0
-
97 kg — 2
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130 kg — 4
2024 Euros
Total: 9
-
55 kg — 0
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60 kg — 0
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63 kg — 1
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67 kg — 3
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72 kg — 1
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77 kg — 0
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82 kg — 0
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87 kg — 2
-
97 kg — 1
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130 kg — 1
2023 Euros
Total: 13
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55 kg — 0
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60 kg — 0
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63 kg — 2
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67 kg — 1
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77 kg — 2
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82 kg — 0
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87 kg — 2
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97 kg — 3
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130 kg — 3
Thus, the rule change turned out to be tactically significant, but it didn’t drastically affect overall statistics. It favored those wrestlers who can jump into action quickly, seize the initiative from the first seconds, and skillfully protect even the smallest advantage throughout the match.