Ringsport#
Wrestling, became popular in Austria around 1880; the first wrestling association was founded before the turn of the century. Before the Second World War, wrestling was particularly popular in Vienna. Since 1945 the sport has mainly been practised in the federal provinces. The Austrian Association of Amateur Wrestlers (Oesterreichischer Amateurringer-Verband, OeARV) with headquarters in Wals (province of Salzburg) was founded in 1952 (1994: 26 clubs with 3,760 members). Before 1958 only the Greco-Roman style was practiced in Austria, freestyle competitions have been held since then. The first Austrian championship for female wrestlers was held in 1994.