At the beginning of each day, each competitor must be closely shaven or have a beard of several months' growth.

The competition singlet

Contestants must appear on the edge of the mat wearing a UWW approved one-piece singlet of the colour assigned to them (red or blue). It is forbidden to have a mixture of red and blue colours on the singlet. Wrestlers are required to wear:
- Their country's emblem on the chest.
- The abbreviation of the country's name (maximum size 10cm x 10cm) on the back of the singlet and
- the last name in latin letters (4 to 7 cm) above or in a half circle around the country's abbreviation.
- The use of light knee pads containing no metal parts is allowed.
- The wrestler must have a cloth handkerchief with him during the whole of the match.

Advertising on clothing

Apart from during the Olympic Games where the IOC Rules apply, competitors can wear one or several sponsors' names. Contestants may also wear their sponsors' name(s) on the back or sleeves of their robes. Lettering and symbols may not be higher than 6 cm to identify the sponsor(s).

Ear protectors

For those wrestlers who wish to wear ear protectors, they must be approved by UWW and must not contain any metal or have hard shells. The referee can oblige a wrestler whose hair is too long to wear ear protectors.

Shoes

Contestants must wear wrestling shoes providing firm support for the ankles. The use of shoes with heels or nailed soles, shoes with buckles or with any metallic part, is prohibited. Shoes may be without laces. Shoes with laces should be wrapped with sticky tape or a system which hides the tip of laces so that they do not come undone during the match. Each competitor is responsible for providing the tape himself for the shoes which will be controlled before getting on to the mat.

Bans

At the weigh-in, the referee must check that each competitor satisfies the requirements of this article. The wrestler must be warned at the weigh-in that, if his appearance is not correct, he will not be allowed to enter the competition. If the wrestler enters the mat with a non-compliant appearance, officials will allow maximum one minute in order for him to comply. If, after this time, the wrestler is still at fault, he will lose the match by abandon.

It is prohibited to:
- Wear the emblem or abbreviation of another country.
- Apply any greasy or sticky substance to the body
- Arrive at the mat perspiring for the beginning of the match and for the beginning of each period.
- Wear bandages on fingers, wrists, arms or ankles except in the case of injury and on doctor's orders.
- These bandages must be covered with elastic straps.
- Wear any object that might cause injury to the opponent, such as rings, bracelets, prosthesis, piercing etc.
- Wear under-wired bras for Women's wrestlers