#AthletesCommission

Julfalakyan Elected Athletes’ Commission Chairman

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (October 19) -- United World Wrestling has announced that Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) was elected Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission.

Julfalakayan was selected as the Commission’s Chairman by the six other Athletes’ Commission members -- Tamas LORINCZ, (HUN), Yui SUSAKI (JPN), Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI), Maxwell LACEY GARITA, (CRC), Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Jessica LAVERS-MCBAIN (AUS) – who were voted into office by their fellow athletes through voting that took place at the ‘21 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway.

“I wanted to express my gratitude to my peers in the Athletes' Commission for their trust and support during the elections. It’s a great honor for me to become the Chairman of the Commission,” said the London Olympic silver medalist.

Julfalakayan has served as an active member of the Athletes' Commission since ’17 but will now be a voting member of the United World Wrestling Bureau. He replaces ‘12 London Olympic champion and five-time world gold medalist Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), who has served in the role since September 2017.

In addition to sitting on the Bureau as the Athletes’ representative, Julfalakayan will also represent wrestlers/wrestling in the IOC Athletes Forum, WADA and in other organizations.

“I’ll make sure to use all my knowledge, experience and energy to bring the Commission to even a higher level. Of course, that will be possible only with tightest cooperation with all the members of Commission and UWW,”

Julfalakayan’s first responsibility as the Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission will come later this month in Belgrade, Serbia, at the UWW Bureau and Congress meeting.

The Athletes' Commission was established in 2013 with the role of protecting the rights and interests of all United World Wrestling Olympic style athletes. The Athletes' Commission members reach out and communicate with active athletes as peers to collect feedback.

United World Wrestling is the international governing body of wrestling and is headquartered in Corsier--Sur-¬Vevey, Switzerland. To learn more about United World Wrestling and the activities of its 179 national federations, please visit: www.uww.org, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Julfalakyan re-elected as UWW Athletes' Commission President

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (October 1) -- Arsen JULFALAKYAN has been re-elected President of the United World Wrestling Athletes’ Commission, securing a second term from 2025 to 2029.

The London Olympic silver medalist, who first took office in 2021, was the sole candidate for the position following the Athletes’ Commission elections held during the World Championships in Zagreb.

As President of the Commission, Julfalakyan will serve as the voice of wrestlers and represent their interests at the UWW Bureau and Congress. He will also represent athletes at the IOC Athletes’ Forum, WADA, and other international organizations.

"I am grateful to the entire wrestling community for trusting me with the privilege of representing them in the UWW Bureau and on the world stage," Julfalakyan said. "I’ll do my best to carry out this mission with dignity and ensure your voice is heard worldwide.

“Special thanks to UWW President Nenad Lalovic, Bureau members, and all national federations for their support. I would also like to take this opportunity to strongly encourage wrestlers to stay actively engaged with the UWW Athletes’ Commission.”

The elections for the Athletes' Commission were held during the World Championships in Zagreb from September 12 to 20 in which nine members, including four women, were elected. These nine members are:

Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARG)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Tamas LORINCZ (HUN)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)
Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE)
Abdellatif MOHAMED (EGY)
Jessica LAVERS-McBAIN (AUS)
Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA)

Following the election, UWW called for candidates for the presidency. As the sole applicant, Julfalakyan was elected unopposed and will continue as President of the Athletes’ Commission. UWW congratulates Julfalakyan on his re-election.

For any queries regarding the election or the functioning of the Athletes Commission, please contact UWW Secretariat.