The purpose of the study was to elucidate the actual state of weight loss among the contestants for the All Japan Wrestling Championships. [Method] All the 286 contestants (196 males, 90 females) for the All Japan Wrestling Championships in 2002 were selected as the respondents for the survey, and the intent of the survey questionnaire was explained to them. A self-administered questionnaire was used for the survey. [Findings] The number of wrestlers who subjected themselves to a weight loss program for the championships amounted to 163 among males (83%), 62 among females (77%); among these wrestlers, 147 males (90%) and 56 females (90%) tried to reduce their weight by more than 5 kg. Those who had a weight loss program of less than 8 days numbered 118 among males (72%), and 51 among females (82%). These findings reveal that the contestants for the competition, the majority of whom were elite wrestlers, lose an excessive amount of weight in a short time.
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