#WrestleTokyo

Denied ticket over COVID, Guinean Olympian clings to dream

Friday, July 30, 2021 - 11:48 By United World Wrestling Press

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Over the last few weeks, wrestlers from around the world have been arriving in Japan in preparation for this week's Tokyo Olympic Games. After navigating through several roadblocks that looked to have derailed her trip, Fatoumata Yarie CAMARA's (GUI) arrived in Japan just in time to lace up her boots and become the first Guinean woman to compete at the Olympic Games.

"Fatoumata Yarie Camara is used to being thrown to the ground and getting up again, getting back into the fight. She’s dedicated her life to wrestling, a sport that breeds tenacity. On the mat, she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, the only athlete from Guinea to do so. Off the mat, she has battled the beliefs of her culture and family that women don’t belong in sports. 

Camara endured delays as the pandemic threatened the Games. Then, three days before the rescheduled opening ceremony, her dream of standing alongside the world’s best athletes teetered on a plane ticket — one she couldn’t afford and government officials hadn’t given her. Saying they wanted to keep Guinea’s athletes safe from COVID-19, the West African country withdrew from the Olympics entirely."

Read more on the AP site ... here

#WrestleTirana

UWW holds 2024 Congress, three women elected to Bureau

Monday, October 28, 2024 - 17:03 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (October 27) -- United World Wrestling held its Congress in Tirana on Sunday, on the sidelines of the World Championships in Non-Olympic Weight Classes.

The Congress touched upon topics related to the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, the budget, the calendar for 2025 and the prospect of launching a UWW Pro League.

Different commission of UWW presented their reports for 2024 and Amateur MMA and Pankration.

The elections for Bureau and Vice Presidents were also held with at least two new women Bureau members. In the elections held on Sunday in Tirana, five Bureau members were due for re-election, with four being re-elected.

UWWFrom left to right: Peter BASCA, Buyandelger PELJEE, Pedro SILVA, Cholpon SULTANBEKOVA, Natalia YARAGUINA and Zamel AL SHAHRANI. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Women ruled the elections with one new Vice President and two new Bureau members were elected.

Pedro SILVA, Peter BASCA, Zamel AL SHAHRANI and Natalia YARAGUINA were re-elected in the Bureau. Bruce BAUMGARTNER was the newly elected member of the Bureau.

Since two new Bureau members could not be elected in the first round of elections, a second round was held, in which the two highest-placed candidates earned elections. Buyandelger PELJEE and Cholpon SULTANBEKOVA earned the most votes, collecting their Bureau spot.

UWW Bureau member and President of UWW Associated Styles Rodica YAKSI and Bureau member and President of African Council Fouad MESKOUT were elected as Vice Presidents in the first meeting of the newly elected Bureau.

Mikhail MAMIASHVILI, Natalia YARAGUINA, Theodoros HAMAKOS and Akhroldjan RUZIEV were re-elected as Vice Presidents.

UWW Vice President Stan DZIEDZIC was not eligible for re-election, as he reached his term limit according to the UWW Constitution. However, he was made the Honorary Vice President of UWW on Monday.