#WrestleZagreb

Lalovic presents UWW Order of Merit to Croatian Prime Minister

By United World Wrestling Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 20) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) President Nenad LALOVIC presented the UWW Order of Merit to Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, on Thursday.

The ceremony was held in Zagreb, Croatia, and Vladimir Bregovic, Croatian Wrestling Federation President, was also present for the same.

The Order of Merit was presented in recognition of the successful organization of the European Championships, which is being held in Zagreb, Croatia. The tournament runs from April 17 to 24 in the Croatian capital.

"I am very pleased to present the UWW Order of Merit to Prime Minister Plenkovic and to witness the success of the 2023 European Championships organization," Lalovic said. 

Lalovic also praised the efforts of the Local Organizing Committee, Croatian Wrestling Federation and the Croatian government in ensuring the event is well-organized and a success.

In addition, they discussed the possibility of hosting other high-level wrestling competitions in Croatia in the future. Lalovic expressed his confidence in Croatia's ability to host world-class events and praised the country's rich sporting culture and tradition.

#WrestleZagreb

Olympic champ Jamalov to miss 2025 World Championships

By Eric Olanowski

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (May 14) -- Paris Olympic champion Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) will miss the 2025 World Championships.

Jamalov told United World Wrestling that he will undergo knee surgery on May 19 in Moscow and will be sidelined for the rest of the 2025 season.

This is the second surgery for Jamalov in last eight months, and 10th of his career, as he also had a shoulder surgery shortly after his win in Paris in August 2024.

"This will be my fifth surgery on my knee," Jamalov told UWW. "I've also had three surgeries on both shoulders, one on my neck, and one for tonsils.

"This is very difficult news because I was hoping to be ready for the 2025 World Championships. It's an old injury that I suffered before the Ranking Series tournament in Hungary [last year]. It's a complete tear of the cruciate ligament."

Despite the physical and mental toll of ten surgeries, the 26-year-old is gearing up for the wrestling season in 2026.

"Even after 10 surgeries, I want to keep wrestling," he said. "I'm aiming to be back in action at the beginning of 2026. Without wrestling, life feels boring to me. Of course, there are doubts sometimes, but I try to work hard and keep believing."