Repechage

A repechage is an additional round that gives athletes who lost earlier a further opportunity to advance, most often so those beaten by an eventual finalist are not unfairly denied a shot at a medal. It is a familiar feature of rowing and canoeing, where crews that miss direct qualification from their heat race again for the remaining places, and of combat sports such as judo and wrestling.

In combat-sport repechage, competitors who lost to a finalist are typically brought back to contest the bronze medals, so the podium reflects genuine strength rather than the luck of the draw. The exact rules vary by sport and event, but the principle is the same: a structured second chance built into the qualification pathway.