Rules: Almost the entire range of holds and throws, even those liable to result in injury or death, were 'legal'. That is, they were accepted as part of the game. However, the referees and spectators set their own limits as to which tactics were acceptable. These limits were dictated by simple common sense. The actions that are forbidden are beating, slapping, boxing, sand throwing in the eyes of your opponent, and kicking. When a wrestler indicated that he wanted to throw in the towel, he was to be released immediately. Once a combatant has thrown his opponent to the ground he is to get off him immediately. In theory, there were no regular weight classifications; a wrestler was free to accept any challenge. In practice, combatants generally challenged or accepted challenges from those near to their own size. Champions nearly always came from the heavyweight class. Action Day: To start of with, on the day of action, wrestlers from each village paraded from their compounds into the arena, accompanied by drummers and fans who sang their praises. Occasionally the wrestler would bolt out from the crowd to dance and strut in front of the crowd. Once the host team enters the arena, the challenger team sits together on the opposite side and waits for the match to start. To open the match, one of the elders of the hosts addresses the crowd by laying down the rules of the game. He states that it is friendly sport and cheering for your man is acceptable however, jeering for the opponent is un-acceptable behaviour and would not be tolerated. The referee signals for the drums to begin. The conduct of the match was usually marked by a sense of progression, with the youngest and least skilled wrestlers opening the initial bouts. The whole contest moves towards a climax in which the final bout was between the champions of each team. However, within this general set-up the order of events was not rigid and could move in line with the pace set by the wrestlers themselves. They could issue there own challenges with little interference from the referees. Indeed any number of bouts could take place at the same time in the same arena. In the meantime, other combatants dance round the edge of he arena to the rhythm of drums, challenging anyone (non-verbally) who would take them on. Such challenges are made with arm gestures, grimaces and body movements. When a fight was accepted, the pair moved towards the centre of the arena to begin their tousle. After the bout was over the loser returned to his team with cheers and jubilation. Often, if a loser felt that he had been thrown by chance, he requested another bout immediately. The winner usually accepted this second challenge, although he would often return to this team mates and smear himself in Juju potions before returning. If the one who lost the first bout wins the second, they usually agree to a third session. The referees generally separated them if they wanted a 4th bout or if someone was weakened or in a bad mood. Thus this is the nature of Gambian wrestling. Un-sporting Behaviour: In short, wrestlers could use any technique that is not expressly forbidden. However, bad sportsmanship is harshly reprimanded and condemned. The referees, spectators and other wrestlers were ready to step in and break up a bout if the wrestlers became angry. If a fight broke out due to an outburst of bad temper, the entire Kafo of the offender was held accountable by the elders of his village. The Kafo was fined, beaten, or harshly reprimanded in order to assuage the anger of the injured wrestler's family and village. Because of this there was great peer pressure to be a gentlemanly sportsman in the arena.