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African and Oceania Olympic Qualifier Entries

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 - 13:09 By Eric Olanowski

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HAMMAMET, Tunisia (March 24) --- The fourth qualification event for the Tokyo Olympic Games, the African and Oceania OG Qualifier (April 2-4), kicks off next Friday. Over 150 athletes from 22 countries will attempt to finish top two in their respective weight classes and qualify their nations for the Olympic Games.

Freestyle
57kg
Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG)
Josh FAILAUGA (ASA)
Raoul Brillant NGANJI (BDI)
Gamal Abdelnaser Hanafy MOHAMED (EGY)
Junjun ASEBIAS (FSM)
Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS)
Mohamed Ismaele CAMARA (GUI)
Ethan Mikquin Tomapa AGUIGUI (GUM)
Chakir ANSARI( MAR)
Soufiane KABIL (MAR)
Ebikewenimo WELSON (NGR)
Jakobo Tanki TAU (RSA)
Saber DRIDI (TUN)
Kossai AJIMI (TUN)
Hachem HASNAOUI (TUN)

65kg
Amar LAISSAOUI (ALG)
Mostafa REZAEIFAR (AUS)
Fathi Tarek Fathi Attia ISMAIL (EGY)
Mbunde CUMBA MBALI (GBS)
Aime Mbolalalaina Joel RAKOTONIAINA (MAD)
Otmane EL BAHJA (MAR)
Abdelwahad BADRI (MAR)
Amas DANIEL (NGR)
Cristian Etpison NICOLESCU (PLW)
Reynhardt LOUW (RSA)
Adama DIATTA (SEN)
Farouk JELASSI (TUN)
Haithem DAKHLAOUI (TUN)

Reigning four-time African champion Ogbonna JOHN (NGR) will compete at 74kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

74kg
Ishak BOUKHORS (ALG)
Elias Lauofo VAOIFI (ASA)
Ethan James THOMAS (AUS)
Amr Reda Ramadan HUSSEN (EGY)
Augusto MIDANA (GBS)
Mathayo Matonya MAHABILA (KEN)
Rabii REGANI (MAR)
Ogbonna Emmanuel JOHN (NGR)
Guy Robert DE LUMEAU JR (PLW)
Jaundre VAN RIEL (RSA)
Foday KARGBO (SLE)
Ayoub BARRAJ (TUN)

86kg
Fateh BENFERDJALLAH (ALG)
Nolan Ili PULETASI (ASA)
Jayden Alexander LAWRENCE (AUS)
Khaled Masoud Ismail ELMOATAMADAWI (EGY)
Bedopassa Buassat DJONDE (GBS)
Ekerekeme AGIOMOR (NGR)
Zander GERINGER (RSA)
Maher GHANMI (TUN)
Imed KADDIDI (TUN)
Sabri MNASRIA (TUN)

97kg
Mohammed FARDJ (ALG)
Ariston Faamalosi BARTLEY (ASA)
Thomas John Mcglinchey BARNS (AUS)
Ulrich Elyse MANOUAN (CIV)
Hosam Mohamed Mostafa MERGHANY (EGY)
Anas LAMKABBER (MAR)
Soso TAMARAU (NGR)
Martin ERASMUS (RSA)
Kamel JAWEDI (TUN)
Chiheb Eddine CHIHI (TUN)
Mohamed SAADAOUI (TUN)

125kg
Djahid BERRAHAL (ALG)}
Tommy Dean JAMES (ASA)
Param Pal SINGH (AUS)
Diaaeldin Kamal Gouda ABDELMOTTALEB (EGY)
Ahmed SEREHALI (MAR)
Johannes Jacobus KRIEL (RSA)
Thiacka FAYE (SEN)
Abdelmoneim ADOULI (TUN)

Greco-Roman
60kg
Abdelkarim FERGAT (ALG)
Josh FAILAUGA (ASA)
Haithem Mahmoud Ahmed Fahmy MAHMOUD (EGY)
Fouad FAJARI (MAR)
Abderrazak ROUINB I(MAR)
Romio Ricardo GOLIATH (NAM)
Mohamed Yassine HKIRI (TUN)
Salim HAMDI (TUN)
Mehdi JOUINI (TUN)

67kg
Abdelmalek MERABET (ALG)
Bilal EL BAHJA (MAR)
Gert Cornelius Johannes COETZEE (RSA)
Souleymen NASR (TUN)
Mohamed Amine MALHI (TUN)
Radhwen TARHOUNI (TUN)

Zied AIT OUAGRAM (MAR), the ten-time African champion, will compete at 77kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

77kg
Abd Elkrim OUAKALI (ALG)
Sunil SHARMA (AUS)
Wael Hamdy Mohamed ABDELRAHMAN (EGY)
Zied AIT OUAGRAM (MAR)
Richard FERREIRA (RSA)
Lamjed MAAFI (TUN)
Mohamed Aziz LANDOLSI (TUN)

87kg
Bachir SID AZARA (ALG)
Ariston Faamalosi BARTLEY (ASA)
Mohamed Moustafa Ahmed Abdall METWALLY (EGY)
Aziz BOUALEM (MAR)
Khalid SAHLI (MAR)
Edward Louwis LESSING (RSA)
Hakim TRABELSI (TUN)
Mohamed Skander MISSAOUI (TUN)

97kg
Adem BOUDJEMLINE (ALG)
Tyler Talalemotu ILI (ASA)
Mohamed Ali Elsayed GABR (EGY)
Mohamed FAIQ (MAR)
Amadu O KAMARA (SLE)
Haikel ACHOURI (TUN)
Amir ALAWAD (UWW)

130kg
Hichem KOUCHIT (ALG)
Tommy Dean JAMES (ASA)
Abdellatif Mohamed Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY)
Choucri ATAFI (MAR)
Amine GUENNICHI (TUN)

Women's Wrestling
50kg
Ibtissem DOUDOU (ALG)
Nada Medani Ashour Abdalla MOHAMED (EGY)
Debora Valeria TURE (GBS)
Adijat Avorshai IDRIS (NGR)
Sarra HAMDI (TUN)

53kg
Lamia CHEMLAL (ALG)
Irene SYMEONIDIS (AUS)
Joseph Emilienne ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR)
Rckaela Maree Ramos AQUINO (GUM)
Emma Nekesa WANGILA (KEN)
Elisa Emma Patricia RASOANANTENAINA NOMENJANAHARY (MAD)
Wissal EL GNAOUI (MAR)
Bose SAMUEL (NGR)
Lobna ICHAOUI (TUN)
Siwar LOUATI BEN ALI (TUN)
Nour El Houda RAOUAFI (TUN)

57kg
Rayane HOUFAF (ALG)|
Nadine NDAYISHIMIYE (BDI)
Eman Essam Guda EBRAHIM (EGY)
Fatoumata Yarie CAMARA (GUI)
Mia Lahnee Ramos AQUINO (GUM)
Atika EL ASLA (MAR)
Ikram BEN HAMMOUDA (TUN)
Faten HAMMAMI (TUN)
Siwar BOUSETA (TUN)

62kg
Amel HAMMICHE (ALG)
Berthe Emilienne ETANE NGOLLE (CMR)
Zineb HASSOUNE (MAR)
Aminat Oluwafunmilayo ADENIYI (NGR)
Fatma INOUBLI (TUN)
Khouloud EL OUNI (TUN)
Marwa AMRI (TUN)

68kg
Enas Mostafa Youssef Khourshed AHMED (EGY)
Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)
Anta SAMBOU (SEN)
Lilia MEJRI (TUN)
Khadija JLASSI (TUN)
No. 2-ranked Samar HAMZA (EGY) highlights the entries at 76kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

76kg
Amy YOUIN (CIV)
Samar Amer Ibrahim HAMZA (EGY)
Nour JELJELI (TUN)
Zaineb SGHAIER (TUN)

Obituary

Abdullah Movahed: Iranian Legend Who Elevated Wrestling to Art Form

Friday, May 1, 2026 - 10:44 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland, (May 1) -- Abdullah MOVAHED (IRI), one of the all-time greats of world wrestling and a dominant force in Freestyle during the 1960s, passed away in the United States on Thursday, April 30, after suffering a heart stroke. The Iranian legend was 86.

A member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame, Movahed’s name became synonymous with technical brilliance and relentless discipline. A five-time world champion, an Olympic gold medalist and twice Asian Games winner, Movahed was at the forefront of an era of Iranian excellence on the global stage. Competing in the 68kg and 70kg Freestyle weight classes, Movahed achieved a level of sustained dominance rarely seen in the sport.

Born in March 1940 in Babolsar, in Iran’s Mazandaran province, Movahed was introduced to volleyball as a young boy and was known locally for his exploits as a spiker. However, he quit the sport as he felt he wasn’t tall enough and didn’t believe he was suited for it. Ultimately, it was on the wrestling mat that he would carve out his legacy. 

He went on to join the Tehran Javan Sports Club, and as a youngster, Movahed didn’t have it easy. He frequently lost to established wrestlers like Mohammad SANATGARAN (IRI). However, he persevered, and coaches recognized his rare blend of agility, intelligence, and composure under pressure. These traits would define his career.

Movahed emerged during a time when Iranian wrestling was rich in talent. He shared the stage with wrestling legends such as Gholamreza TAKHTI (IRI), Mansour MEHDIZADEH (IRI), Ebrahim SEYFPOUR (IRI), and Emamali HABIBI (IRI). In such a company, greatness was neither guaranteed nor easily attained, but Movahed’s rise was swift.

His breakthrough came in 1962, when the erstwhile Soviet Union’s Freestyle champions travelled to Iran for a series of friendly bouts. His win over Zarbag BERYASHVILI made him an overnight sensation in Iran, and the following year, Movahed made his debut for the Iranian national team at the World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

As a 23-year-old rookie, Movahed didn’t make much of an impact -- he shared sixth place with well-known Bulgarian wrestler Enyu VALCHEV (BUL). At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, he showed signs of improvement and finished fourth. A year later, at the World Championships in Manchester, he claimed his first world title, beginning an extraordinary run.

Abdullah MOVAHED (IRI)

From 1965 to 1970, Movahed was virtually untouchable. He won six consecutive major global titles at 68kg and 70kg, including World Championships in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1970, along with Olympic gold at the 1968 Summer Olympics. That 1968 triumph, often cited as the pinnacle of his career, showcased his tactical mastery and unyielding determination. He also won the gold medal at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games.

He returned for the 1972 Summer Olympics, but an unfortunate shoulder injury cut his campaign short, preventing a final chapter that might have further illuminated his already illustrious record. After the Games, Movahed, who had a master’s degree, moved to the USA, where he pursued a PhD at George Washington University. He continued to live there after earning his doctorate and worked as a mechanic.

Abdullah MOVAHED (IRI)

Beyond his medals, Movahed’s legacy lies in the standard he set. He helped define a golden generation of Iranian wrestling and inspired countless athletes who followed in his footsteps. His induction into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame secured his place among the all-time greats.

In mourning his passing, the wrestling world remembers not just a champion, but a craftsman whose sustained excellence elevated freestyle wrestling to an art form.