#development

Benin Wrestling Federation Conducts Level 2 Course on Introduction of Refereeing and Wrestlers

By United World Wrestling Press

The Benin Wrestling Federation with the support of United World Wrestling (UWW) and the United Francophones Federations (UFFL) recently conducted a weeklong course for level 2 coaches on the introduction of refereeing and wrestlers. The courses launched May 17 at the  Auditorium Marius Francisco of CNOS-Ben and concluded May 29.

Twenty-eight participants, including four women, from all departments of Benin were able to build their competences around refereeing, coaching, preparation and development. Under the leadership of Vincent Aka and Christian Danga, two experts from United World Wrestling, these training courses offered the participants the opportunity to acquire new lessons to enrich their knowledge of Olympic wrestling.

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At the opening ceremony, Benin Wrestling Federation President Yves Azifan spoke on the importance of the courses and promised to make it a real opportunity to boost the development of Benin wrestling.

"In view of the new sports policy defined above all with the will of the new Executive Committee, to set up a national technical direction, the Benin Wrestling Federation undertakes to make operational, all the referees and coaches who take part to this course for the promotion and the development of the Beninese fight," said Azifan.

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Christian Danga situated the context in which these training course took place and invited the beneficiaries to make the most of them. 

"This training should not take place. We really had to stand up and say something had to be done. Because right now the corona is there and always proves everyone right not to work. The whole point is not to come and think about getting a diploma and going home. We want people who work. What are you going to do with what you are going to receive? We cannot talk about development without training. When we train, it's to develop. If people don't develop, it's absolutely no use."

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Fernando Hessou, secretary general of the Benin National Olympic and Sports Committee, spoke on the importance of the training and instruction. 

"From now on we must make the development of skills our leitmotif," said Hessou. "No one will receive training and go to sleep on their laurels. It's over! We are fortunate to have experts who are our brothers and friends, who are ready to give us everything so that we have well-trained referees and coaches, people capable of investing in schools, rural areas, to find us wrestlers who will bring back medals. We have beaches. The whole south is covered with beaches. So, it's a chance to have experts like them, by focusing on training, it's wanting to move forward, ”

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On behalf of the Minister of Sports, Christophe Nonvignon Okry invited the participants to attend and participate in a spirit of participation. 

"I must congratulate you on the chance to have them both at the same time for about a week. You should take advantage of this incredible chance that you have two experts. You should do everything to get the most out of them. You have to stay focused enough, get attached to what you are here for. Do not leave here with any doubts whatsoever ... No doubt should remain from the moment you have this chance. You should do everything to ensure that at the end of the roll, Benin can qualify athletes directly to the Olympic Games, "he said.
 

#UWWAwards

UWW's 2024 Wrestlers of the Year: Petriashvili, Tosun, Kusaka

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 16) -- United World Wrestling has announced the wrestlers of the year in Freestyle, Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. UWW’s 2024 Wrestler of the Year award winners are Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), Buse TOSUN (TUR) and Nao KUSAKA (JPN).

Freestyle: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)

The 30-year-old Georgian finished with a style-best 68,200 Ranking Series points through his finishes at the four point-based events of the year -- Olympic Games, European Championships, Croatian and Hungarian Ranking Series -- in which he collected a 13-4 record with 8 wins coming against top 20 ranked opponents.

Petriashvili’s 2024 season didn’t start well, as he finished in fifth place with a 3-2 record at the Croatian Ranking Series. This marked Petriashvili’s sixth consecutive full season in which he started on a losing note before regaining focus and peaking at the most opportune times.

In his next outing, Petriashvili scored three wins before reaching the European finals for the seventh time in his career. However, he fell short against career rival Taha AKGUL (TUR) for silver.

The three-time world champion then went to Hungary for the final tune-up before the Paris Olympics. While at the second Ranking Series event of the year, Petriashvili grabbed three wins, but not before falling to Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) in the semifinals while nursing a left elbow injury.

Petriashvili headed to Paris hungry to improve his 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medal. The father of two did exactly that, picking up four victories including a 10-9 shock win over two-time reigning world champion Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI), becoming Georgia’s third-ever freestyle Olympic gold medalist.
 
Greco-Roman: Nao KUSAKA (JPN)

23-year-old Nao KUSAKA (JPN), finished with a Greco-Roman best 79,200 Ranking Series points after winning golds at the Olympics, Asian Championships, and Hungarian Ranking Series events while also winning a bronze at the Croatian Ranking Series event at the beginning of the season.

After falling in the semifinals of his first competition of the year, Kusaka rallied off 14 consecutive victories -- four of which came against former world champions Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR), Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) and Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) -- on his way to winning golds in Paris, Bishkek and Budapest.

Kusaka’s win in Paris at 77kg, alongside his fellow teammate Kenichiro FUMITA’s gold, ended Japan’s 40-year Greco-Roman Olympic gold-medal drought.

Women's Wrestling: Buse TOSUN (TUR)

Buse TOSUN (TUR) is UWW’s Women’s wrestler of the year after topping the rankings with a style best 60,200 points. She narrowly edged Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) by 200 points for the coveted award.

Tosun, the reigning world champion at 68kg, finished 2024 with an impressive 11-2 record. Of those 11 wins during the season, a staggering eight came against wrestlers in the top 15 of the world rankings.

She dropped her first match of the season to Feng ZHOU (CHN) but went on to win 11 of her remaining 12 bouts, falling only at the Paris Olympics to eventual champion Amit ELOR (USA), en route to winning an Olympic bronze which was just Turkiye's second-ever women’s wrestling Olympic medal.

United World Wrestling congratulates Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), Nao KUSAKA (JPN), and Buse TOSUN (TUR) for their incredible achievements this year and for being named the 2024 Wrestlers of the Year.