Youth Olympic Games

Georgia and Iran Place Two in Greco-Roman Finals

By Tim Foley

BUENOS AIRES (October 12) – Wrestling powerhouses Georgia and Iran each placed a pair of wrestlers into Friday night’s Greco-Roman finals at the Youth Olympic Games.

Georgia’s Giorgi TOKHADZE impressed at 51kg defeating his two opponents by fall and  technical superiority, while teammate Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE squeaked past Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM) 3-1 to make the finals at 60kg.

It was a stressful morning for Iranian fans at both Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (45kg) and Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI) needed come-from-behind performances to make their way into tonight’s final. Dehbozorgi was trailing 1-0 against Edmond NAZARYAN (BUL) before fighting his way back to the win, 3-2. Meanwhile, Nosarti trailed Mukhammad EVLOEV (RUS) 3-0 after the first period but scored five unanswered points in the second to earn his ticket to the finals.


Ecuador’s Jeremy PARALTA GONZALEZ  and Japan’s Wataru SASAKI are queued up for finals action at 45kg. The lightweight pair each breezed through their respective groups, filling the auditorium with the cheers of fans, setting up what is certain to be a high flying finale.

Full Results from Session I at the Youth Olympic Games can be found, HERE.

Action resumes at 5pm local/4pm ET.

Greco-Roman, 45kg
GOLD: Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI) v. Jeremy Renzo PERALTA GONZALEZ (ECU)
BRONZE: Edmond Armen NAZARYAN (BUL) v. Arslanbek ZAKIRBAYEV (TKM)
FIFTH: Abdalla M. SHAABAN (EGY) v. Densel Jaffet DE JESUS VALERIO (HON)

Greco-Roman, 51kg
GOLD: Wataru SASAKI (JPN) v. Giorgi TOKHADZE (GEO)
BRONZE:  Axel Andre SALAS ESQUIVEL (MEX)  v. Eduardo LOVERA (ARG)
FIFTH: Mehdi JOUINI (TUN) v. Alexander ADINIWIN (MHL)

Greco-Roman, 60kg
GOLD: Elmirbek SADYROV (KGZ) v. Giorgi CHKHIKVADZE (GEO)
BRONZE: Miguel Angel UGALDE AGUILAR (MEX) v. Sahak HOVHANNISYAN (ARM)
FIFTH: Arapo Ngatuerua George KELLNER (NZL) v. Ahmed Abdelhakim MERIKHI (ALG)

Greco-Roman, 71kg
GOLD: Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) v. Stepan STARODUBTSEV (RUS)
BRONZE: Lamjed MAAFI (TUN) v. Shu YAMADA (JPN)
FIFTH: Brandon CALLE PEREZ (COL) v. Lynch Xavier Tanglao SANTOS (GUM)

Greco-Roman, 92kg
GOLD: Osman AYAYDIN (TUR) v. Mohammad Ghorbanali NOSRATI (IRI)
BRONZE: Shady Elkhalil Ibrahim A. WEHIB (EGY) v. Mukhammad EVLOEV (RUS)
FIFTH: Ariston Faamalosi BARTLEY (ASA) v. Igor Fernando ALVES DE QUEIROZ (BRA)

 

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Lalovic attends WADA Conference, completes development visits in Asia

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 8) -- United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC, who serves on the WADA Executive Committee as an IOC representative, attended the 2025 WADA World Conference held from December 1 to 5 in Busan, Korea.

The conference brought together the global anti-doping community for high-level discussions on the World Anti-Doping Program, with a key focus on approving the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards. The revision process, launched in September 2023, has allowed stakeholders to contribute to strengthening and modernizing the global anti-doping system.

Nenad LALOVIC

Development visits

President Lalovic also completed wrestling-related visits to China, Korea, and Kyrgyzstan, reinforcing UWW’s commitment to supporting National Federations and expanding the sport across the region.

In each country, Lalovic emphasized UWW’s ongoing efforts to deepen cooperation with National Federations, increase engagement, and grow wrestling at the elite and grassroots levels. He encouraged federations to integrate wrestling programs into schools, offering more opportunities for young athletes to enter the sport.

Nenad LALOVIC

A key area of discussion was UWW’s development strategy leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, including updates on Olympic qualification, the Pro Series, and opportunities available to National Federations.

In China, meetings were held with Vice Minister of General Administration of Sport of China Lixin TONG and Vice President of National Olympic Committee of China Jinqiang ZHOU.

UWW also recently announced the addition of Raul TRUJILLO DIAZ, longtime coach of Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) and recipient of the 2025 IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, to support global development of Greco-Roman. Lalovic highlighted that such initiatives strengthen the sport and promote valuable exchanges of expertise among federations and coaches.

MoU

MoU signed in Kyrgyzstan

During the visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan inaugurated a new wrestling arena and academy, marking a significant step forward in its cooperation with UWW.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between UWW and Izabekov Wrestling Academy to expand development programs and training opportunities in the country.

Accompanied by UWW Asia President Mohammad Al-AWAMLEH and Secretary General Carlos ROY, Lalovic met with representatives of the Kyrgyzstan federation to discuss regional initiatives and long-term development plans.

On December 6, Lalovic was received by Sadyr JAPAROV, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, to whom he presented the UWW medal in recognition of his support for wrestling.