Development

Joint Referees and Coaches Educator Courses for Wrestling Hosted in Guatemala, Georgia 

Friday, November 30, 2018 - 12:40 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (November 30) – Oil and water. Cats and dogs. Referees and coaches. Some things in this world simply don’t mix.

In wrestling that conflict between referees and coaches may soon be improving. In an effort to harmonize the rule keepers and the men and women tasked with leading teams to victory, United World Wrestling has delivered a pair of educator courses in Guatemala and Georgia attended by both referees and coaches.

“The aim of the course is wonderful because the referees and the coaches learn new teaching techniques and debate on various areas to improve the sport of wrestling,” said United World Wrestling development director Deqa Niamkey. “It’s all about perspective and now they have shared experience and dialogue which will serve the sport.”

The courses were the result of the Referee Development Programme launched after the UWW Bureau Meeting in Paris 2017, with numerous educational courses organized to enhance and synchronize the courses provided by UWW. The first course was delivered in Manchester, Great Britain for English speakers in November 2017 and was available to referees and coaches from all five continents.

“We reached an important milestone in such short time,” said Niamkey. “Through the realization of these three courses, we transmitted andragogy teaching and pedagogies transmission to highly experienced referees and coaches that will deliver high quality courses worldwide to further develop wrestling.”

The 2018 Americas course was delivered at the Centro Alto Rendimentio (CARDA) in Guatemala City November 15-20 under the supervision of referee instructor Abraham GALVA (PUR) and development officer Vincent Aka .

“The course is fantastic. I feel part of United World Wrestling,” said Raul Diaz TRUJILLO (CUB). “I have been a coach for the last 40 years and never felt this much a part of this wrestling family. It is a dream come true.”

The Georgian Wrestling Federation hosted the Russian speakers course under the supervision of referee instructor Ibrahim CICOGLU (TUR) and Vaclav SCHEINER (CZE) and Vincent AKA (CIV) with the assistance of Petru TOARCA (ROM).

“The course was amazing. It is an eye-opener of new views, approach, philosophy of learning and transferring knowledge to younger generations,” said Davor PETANJEK (CRO) 1s Referee and instructor. “We need more collaboration and communication between the two groups. It is time that we assist our national federations in their development process and provide educational courses in the future with trained UWW Educators”

“My hopes are UWW continues in this path with joint courses for referees and coaches,” said Petanjek.

United World Wrestling will provide funding for the organization of the refereeing courses when the national federation hosts an Olympic Solidarity Technical Course for coaches. Additional assistance will also be provided for the developing nations that organize a competition right after the educational courses

Guatemala City, GUA:  November 15-20

COACHES:

Raúl Trujillo Díaz (GR) CUB
Aguilar Cañizalez Millie Mayola (WW) VEN
Néstor Almanza (GR) CHI
Filiberto Delgado (FS-WW) CUB
Pedro Rojas (FS + WW) PUR
David Gutiérrez (GR + FS) COL
Camacho Pedriquez Hector Luis (GR) VEN

REFEREES:

Carlos Garcia (ESP)
Juan Arturo Camacho (MEX)
Juan José Maldonado (CHI)
Eduardo Goncalves (BRA)
Ignácio D’Alessandro (ARG)

Georgia November 24-29

Referee

Norovard ARUSTAMYAN (RUS)
Alexey BAZULIN (RUS)
Levent SEN (TUR)
Karol LEBKOWSKI (POL)
Roman PAVLOV (UKR)
Edisher MACHAIDZE (GEO)
Davor PETANJEK (CRO)
Stanislav SERNEK (SLO)

Coaches

Anatoli GUIDIA (ROM)
David OTIASHVILI (GEO)
Yusup ABDUSALAMOV (POL)
Adem BEREKET (TUR)
Georgii SREDKOV (BUL)
Anzor TEMBOTOV (RUS)
Abdurozik OLIMOV (TJK)
Buyandelger BATBAYAR (MGL)

Development

2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial concludes in Guatemala City

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 11:30 By United World Wrestling Press

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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (June 2) -- The 2025 UWW Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament (REDT) successfully concluded once again in Guatemala City, continuing the tradition of excellence in wrestling development across the Americas.

From May 26 to June 1, athletes, coaches, referees, and officials gathered at the Center for High-Performance and Development of America (CARDA) and the Erick Barrondo Sports Complex for a week of intensive educational activities and training camps. The event offered a unique platform where participants could simultaneously improve their technical, pedagogical, and competitive skills.

The coaches’ course was conducted under the leadership of Iranian expert Professor Reza AZIMI, assisted by Ardeshir ASGARI (NCA), who also supported with translation. A total of 22 coaches from 11 countries took part in these sessions, which combined theoretical classes with practical on-mat application, allowing for immediate implementation of newly acquired knowledge.

In parallel, the referees’ course was led by Guatemalan international referee Hugo FIGUEROA, with the participation and support of UWW Referee Commission Member Rafael GALVA LEBRON (Puerto Rico). A total of 13 referees from 9 countries attended the seminar, actively engaging in discussions, case studies, and on-mat evaluations.

Throughout the entire week, participants demonstrated strong enthusiasm and commitment, sharing experiences and strengthening the regional wrestling community.

The educational portion of the event officially opened on May 26, with an inauguration ceremony attended by several dignitaries, including Ramón Francisco GONZÁLEZ PINEDA, President of the Guatemalan Wrestling Federation, and Francisco Eduardo LEE LÓPEZ, President of United World Wrestling Americas, who addressed all participants with words of encouragement.

The training camp allowed athletes from across the continent to train together, guided by both educators and coaches from the participating nations. Thanks to the excellent facilities at CARDA and the availability of five official mats, strength and conditioning areas, saunas, and recovery facilities, athletes were able to prepare under optimal conditions.

GUAWrestlers warm up and get ready to compete at the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The week culminated with the XXXIV "Pat Shaw" Memorial Cup, held on May 31 and June 1. This year’s competition featured 619 matches across three wrestling styles: Freestyle (FS), Greco-Roman (GR), and Women’s Wrestling (WW), in four age groups: Senior, U20, U17, and U15. Over 308 athletes from 16 countries competed, including delegations from Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The entire competition was managed using UWW’s official Arena system, with full implementation of the latest UWW standards in terms of competition management, medical protocols, anti-doping education, and technological support, with valuable collaboration from the UWW Americas T&R team.

The Pat Shaw Memorial - Regional Education Development Tournament continues to serve as a cornerstone for the development of wrestling in the Americas, providing athletes, coaches, and referees an invaluable opportunity for growth within a fully integrated educational and competitive framework.

United World Wrestling firmly believes that programs like these represent the ideal path for sustainable development, offering new generations of participants access to high-level international events while enhancing both their technical and personal growth within our sport.