#WrestleNice

'22 Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane Postponed

By United World Wrestling Press

NICE, France (January 13) -- It is with much disappointment that the French Wrestling Federation (Fédération de Française de Lutte) informed that the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2022 is officially postponed. The decision has been taken after several meetings within the French Wrestling Federation and with the French Ministry of Sports. Given the current COVID-19 situation in France and the world, the French Wrestling Federation recognizes that they cannot organize the competition without putting at risk the athletes and staff. Therefore, they have decided not to maintain the Grand Prix next week.

The Federation is very disappointed by this news as they have worked tirelessly for this event, but the health of the athletes obviously comes first. They hope to organize the Grand Prix later this year but cannot make any commitments at this time.

If participants already paid the competition fees, they will be reimbursed in full.

#WrestleZagreb

UWW to continue tests for Greco-Roman tie-breaker rule

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 19) — The Technical Commission of United World Wrestling has decided to further test the tie-breaking rule for Greco-Roman bouts that end with a 1-1 score.

UWW had announced in March that it would test a new Greco-Roman rule at the European Championships in April. This rule awarded victory in a 1-1 Greco-Roman bout to the wrestler who scored the first technical point.

Testing at the European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia yielded positive results. However, to fully evaluate the rule, the Commission agreed to conduct further tests at more events.

Beginning with the U15 European Championships in Caorle, Italy from June 25, all future events till the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia will be conducted under the new rule which awards the victory to the wrestler who scored the first technical point if the match ends 1-1. This means that the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb will be part of the testing.

The change comes after it was unanimously acknowledged that the existing rule, which awards victory to the athlete who scores the last point, may unintentionally encourage passivity at the start of the bout. Wrestlers could strategically aim to secure a passivity point in the second period, ultimately winning the match without demonstrating consistent engagement throughout.

UWW once again stresses that the modification will be implemented exclusively for Greco-Roman and will apply only to matches that end with a 1-1 score. For all other score scenarios, the existing wrestling rules will remain in effect.