#WrestleOslo

Live Blog: World Championships Day 6 - GR 55kg, 72kg, 77kg, 82kg

By Vinay Siwach

OSLO, Norway (October 7) -- Greco-Roman action begins in Oslo on day six of the World Championships with two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASOV (RWF) aiming for a Worlds gold. A host of other Greco-Roman will be on the mat at the Jordan Amfi arena. (Day 5 Wrap - Gray, Fujinami Dominate to Gold)

MATCH ORDER | WATCH LIVE | ALL PHOTOS

1400: Quarterfinal results of the GR 82kg weight class

Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) df Benjamin PROVISOR (USA), 10-0
Adlan AKIEV (RWF) df Hannes WAGNER (GER), via fall
Rafiq HUSEYNOV (AZE) df Alex KESSIDIS (SWE), 7-6
Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) df Radzik KULIYEU (BLR), 3-1

1350: Quarterfinal results of the GR 72kg weight class

Mohammad MOKHTARI (IRI) df Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE), 10-0
Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU), 5-0
Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF) df Gevorg SAHAKYAN (POL), 7-3
Cengiz ARSLAN (TUR) df Mikko PELTOKANGAS (FIN), 9-0

1335: Quarterfinal results of the GR 77kg weight class

Roman VLASOV (RWF) df Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI), 10-1
Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df Viktor NEMES (SRB), 1-1
Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) df Roland SCHWARZ (GER), 10-2
Tsimur BERDYIEU (BLR) df Kodai SAKURABA (JPN), 11-3

1325: Quarterfinal results of the GR 55kg weight class

Emin SEFERSHAEV (RWF) df Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ), 5-1
Ken MATSUI (JPN) df Ekrem OZTURK (TUR), 5-5 
Norayr HAKHOYAN (ARM) df Max NOWRY (USA), 9-0
Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE) df Sardarbek KONUSHBAEV (KGZ), 10-1

1300: What a win! Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) trailed 0-1 at the break but goes for a five-point throw then a chest wrap to four for an 11-1 win over Kalidin ASYKEEV (KGZ)

1245: Another top bout at 77kg. Tamas LEVAI (HUN) and former world champ Viktor NEMES (SRB) will be wrestling for a spot in the quarterfinal

1230: Emin SEFERSHAEV (RWF) has set up a quarterfinal against Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) at 55kg. At 77kg, a huge bout coming up as Roman VLASOV (RWF) wrestles Mohammadali Abdolhamid GERAEI (IRI). 

1205: Roland SCHWARZ (GER) is moving on to the next round after upsetting Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) 7-1. Good win for Schwarz

1150: Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) is once again back to 82kg. He won a silver in Nursultan and now he has begin with a 9-0 win over Ranet KALJOLA (EST)

1130: Alex BJURBERG KESSIDIS (SWE) wins a 9-3 battle against Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) to the delight of the crowd. 

1110: Two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASOV (RWF) in on Mat B against Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ). He gets going with a passivity call. 1-0 up. A gut and a huge four-point throw against once again a gut and he will finish it 9-0 in two minutes and 10 seconds

1100: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) hangs on for a 5-5 win over Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO) in a tough match. Meanwhile, World Championships bronze medalist Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) wins 6-1 in his first bout.

1050: Junior world championships bronze medalist Alexandrin GUTU (MDA) gets going with a 7-2 win over Emmanuel BENITEZ CASTRO (MEX) in the opening round at 77kg

1030: We are underway with the Greco-Roman style here at Jordan Amfi arena. Big crowd in already for the day

#wrestlemanama

Bahrain to host 2026 World Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 16) -- For the first time in history, the World Championships are headed to Bahrain.

The 2026 World Championships will be held in Manama, Bahrain from September 5 to 13, United World Wrestling announced on Tuesday, during the ongoing World Championships in Zagreb.

No Arab country has ever hosted a World Championships but Bahrain will etch its name in history with the 2026 edition.

Secretary General of the Bahrain Olympic Committee Faris AL-KOOHEJI attended the press conference at the Arena Zagreb for the historic announcement. UWW President Nenad LALOVIC and Al-Kooheji announced the host together and signed the agreement.

"Bahrain has a superstar in wrestling," UWW President Lalovic said. "They probably want to use this opportunity to promote the sport through this superstar [Akhmed] TAZHUDINOV (BRN). But he's not the only one.

"They also want to develop the local Bahrain born athletes to compete because they have the role model of the top achievement in wrestling. This is something that we considered and that is why we made this decision.

Bahrain won its first-ever gold medal in Olympics in Paris when Tahzudinov ran-through the 97kg weight class and captured the gold medal. A year before that, he won the world title in the same weight class.

Tazhudinov is also an Asian champion, Asian Games champion and winner of other Ranking Series events.

Lalovic on the fact that wrestling wants to change the host continent of the World Championships more regularly.

 "We also want to change the continent regularly," he said. "A state that can organize the Asian [Youth] Games like they will do now in October, they will not face any problem with the championships, especially that we give all the assistance possible for the execution"

Manama, Bahrain will host the Asian Youth Games in which wrestling will be held from October 28 to 30.

Expressing its gratitude to UWW and readiness to host the mega event, Al-Kooheji said that the tournament will help Bahrain take wrestling to the grassroot levels in the country.

"For us, wrestling is a long term project," Al-Kooheji said. "Wrestling is a growing sport. It's a strategic sport for us. We got a gold medal in Paris, and we're looking to getting more medals. That gold medal started to inspire a lot of people, locally, to pursue wrestling, which is why part of the discussions with United World Wrestling is to even help us add wrestling in schools."

The Bahrain Olympic Committee expects that the World Championships will have a positive impact in growing the sport in the country.

"Strong economic impact [from the event]," he said. "We're going to get lots of travel spectators from Iran, the United States, and other countries as well. It's going to encourage the local community. They will understand more wrestling."