USA, Iran, Japan Build Their Own — Others Borrow (Mostly Russians)

[Shahin]

Other than the USA, Iran, Japan, and Russia—nations that continue to develop and showcase their own top wrestlers—many other so-called “powerhouse” countries lean heavily on imported talent. A big share of these recruits come from Russia itself, with places like Bahrain fielding Russian wrestlers under their flag. This trend not only props up the results of those countries but also dilutes Russia’s own strength on the international stage.

On top of that, the absence of Abdulrashid Sadulaev, one of Russia’s biggest stars, further hurt their chances of placing higher in the overall team rankings. Taken together, Russia’s performance looked subpar compared to its potential, largely because so many of its athletes were wearing different colors.

Do you agree?

[WrestlingRasta]

France’s roster is continually growing with ‘ov’ and ‘ev’s. This is a characteristic I’ve been following rather closely the last couple of years. 

[scribers]

There are also examples of American wrestlers for other countries. They don’t have to peak twice in a season to 1) make the team 2) compete for a medal 

[Gantry]

1 hour ago, WrestlingRasta said:

France’s roster is continually growing with ‘ov’ and ‘ev’s. This is a characteristic I’ve been following rather closely the last couple of years. 

From some other posts though, aren't some (or most?) of these of Russian parents but grew up in France? 

[Ragu]

1 hour ago, Gantry said:

From some other posts though, aren't some (or most?) of these of Russian parents but grew up in France? 

Yes

[ScottishSteel]

1 hour ago, Gantry said:

From some other posts though, aren't some (or most?) of these of Russian parents but grew up in France? 

I can't speak to all of them but at least one of the French wrestlers moved w/ his parents at a young age and came up in the French system