A new UWW approved mat, with a 9m diameter and surrounded by a 1.50m border of the same thickness is obligatory in the following contests: Olympic Games, Championships and Cups. For all other international competitions, mats must be homologated, but not necessarily new.

For the Olympic Games and World Championships, warm up and training mats must also be new and approved by UWW and be of the same quality as the competition mats.

An orange band of 1m wide and forming an integral part of the wrestling area is drawn along the circumference on the inside of the circle of 9m in diameter.

The following terms will be used to designate the various parts of the mat:

The central circle indicates the middle of the mat (1m of diameter). The inside part of the mat which is inside the orange circle is the central surface of wrestling (7m of diameter). The orange strip is 1m wide. The protection area is 1m50 wide.

For all Olympic Games, World and Continental Championships, the mat shall be installed on a platform not higher than 1m10 or lower than 0m50. If the mat lays on a podium and that the protection margin (covering and free space around the mat) does not reach 2 meters, the sides of the podium will have to be covered with 45o inclined panels. In all cases, the colour of the protection area will have to be different from the one of the mat. The wooden floor near the mat will have to be covered with a strongly well fixed soft cover.

To prevent contamination, the mat must be cleaned and disinfected before every wrestling session. When mats that have a smooth, uniform and non-abrasive surface are used (canvas included), the same hygienic measures must also be applied.

A circle must be traced in the middle of the mat with an inside diameter of one metre and a surrounding band 10 cm wide.

The coach of each athlete will be located in the same side of the mat. The red wrestler will be place on the left and the blue wrestler on the right.

The mat should be installed so that it is surrounded by a wide open space in order to ensure that the competition proceeds normally.

All the details regarding the UWW logo and the mat manufacturer logo, should be addressed to United World Wrestling headquarters and be followed by the guidelines sent to the Mat Producers.