Obituary

Legendary Coach Pedro Val Bragueira of Cuba, Dies at 65

Thursday, August 9, 2018 - 16:05 By United World Wrestling Press

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HAVANA, Cuba (July 31) – Cuba’s longtime head Greco-Roman wrestling coach Pedro Val Bragueiradied last Friday after a long illness. He was 65.

Pedro Val was the head of the Greco-Roman national team between 1975 and 2015 and was the personal coach to many of Cuba’s wrestling legends, including three-time Olympic champion Mijaín LOPEZ, two-time Olympic champion Filiberto AZCUY, and 1992 Olympic champion Héctor MILIÁN. 

In 2010 Pedro Val was distinguished as the best coach in the world by United World Wrestling.

“He was like a father on the mat and outside of the mat,” said López. “It won’t feel the same going to train every day knowing that he is no longer with us.”

Pedro Val started studying to become a wrestling Instructor in 1966, after being admitted to the Escuela Superior de Educación Física Comandante Manuel Fajardo. After two years later -- and at a very young age -- he took up his first coaching position in the town of Colimar. 

In 1975, on the basis of his results, he received the title of Profesor de Educación Física y Deporte, awarded by the ESEF Cmdt. Manuel Fajardo. He would later progressed to a Licenciado and Master degrees.

Pedro Val’s coaching career at the national level started in 1971, when he was appointed as head of the Greco-Roman national Junior team. He held this position until 1974, obtaining great results at the international level, and in 1975 he was promoted to head of the Senior team. 

During his 40-year tenure on the mat he excelled in his job, laying the technical and organizational groundwork to establish the excellence of Cuban Greco-Roman wrestling at the continental and world levels and leaving an inestimable heritage that transcends national boundaries. 

Pedro Val will be deeply missed by the wrestling community across the world.

 

Obituary

Nico Coetzee, UWW Educator and Head Coach of South African Wrestling, Dies at 56

Thursday, May 27, 2021 - 15:03 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 27) -- Nico Coetzee, head wrestling coach of South Africa and UWW Educator, died suddenly on Tuesday. He was 56.

Coetzee was active in all aspects of wrestling in Africa. He was the head wrestling coach for South Africa since 2009, and for the past several years was a UWW Instructor tasked with assisting in the education and development of wrestling across the continent.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of Nico's death," said United World Wrestling president Nenad LALOVIC. "He was one of the sport's best leaders on Africa and we will miss his input. I send my condolences to his family, his wrestlers, and all those who called him a friend."

Coetzee grew up in the then small-town Boksburg, in South Africa. After finishing school, he completed his Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pretoria. At school Coetzee participated in long distance running, rugby, boxing, and wrestling.

When his son was born, Coetzee's passion for wrestling, and specifically coaching, was ignited. He joined the Boksburg Wrestling Club as a coach and climbed the ladder to coaching excellence very fast. In 2006 he became the provincial head coach and three years later became the head coach for the South African Wrestling Federation.

In 2019, coach Coetzee was awarded the Gauteng Sports Coach of the Year. He had been instrumental in the development of the National Coaching Framework of the South African National Olympic Committee, SASCOC, now SASCA (The South African Sports Coaching Association), where he was elected a board member.

In addition to his many leadership roles in South Africa, Coetzee was also a sport-specific mentor for the WSLA High-Performance Coach program, which provides leadership training opportunities to women in sport.

"Nico was a lovely man and oversaw several projects developing wrestling on the continent and around the world," said Development Director Deqa Niamkey  "I always appreciated his positivity and energy. He's the kind of person who really did make a difference in our sport and used it as a way to enhance humanity as a whole."

"We are devastated."