#OffTheMat

Medet Kyzy on Tynybekova's impact on her career & the rise to superstardom

By Eric Olanowski

COSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 26) -- Despite only being 23-years-old, Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) is one of the most famous women's wrestlers in the world and is already being looked at as a favorite to win a 76kg medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

After an unbelievable fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Medet Kyzy closed out the year with gold at the U23 World Championships and a bronze at the Senior World Championships. She's carried her hot streak into 2021, winning gold at the Asian Championships and the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event.

After storming her way to Ranking Series gold in Istanbul, Medet Kyzy sat down with United World World Wrestling to talk about life outside the mat. She spoke out about what she likes to do when she's not wrestling, why and how she got into wrestling and the massive impact women's wrestling Kyrgyz legend Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA has had on her career.

#development

UWW and Inspire Institute of Sport sign MoU to advance wrestling development in India

By United World Wrestling Press

PARIS (August 27) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) and the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The MoU was signed at the Wrestling House, UWW's hospitality venue, located on a boat next to the iconic Eiffel Tower.

This strategic partnership is designed to foster collaboration and enhance the development of wrestling in India by establishing a framework for mutually beneficial programs, projects, and activities. The MoU reflects the commitment of both UWW and IIS to support elite and pre-elite wrestling athletes, as well as suitably qualified coaches in India.

IIS, a charitable trust dedicated to social development through sports, education, and health, operates a state-of-the-art high-performance training center in Vijayanagar, Karnataka. The facility meets international standards and is focused on promoting Olympic sports in India, providing young talents with the resources and training necessary to succeed.

The institute is prominent in developing wrestling, among other sports, in India. Olympic bronze medalists Bajrang PUNIA (IND) and Sakshi MALIK (IND) have been associated with it in past. Recently, IIS trainees World Championships bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) and Nisha DAHIYA (IND) wrestled at the Paris Olympics.

Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND)Nikhil PILANAGOILA (IND), left, will compete at the U20 World Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At the age-group level, IIS has supported U20 Asian Championships gold medalists Dhanshri FAND (IND) and NITIKA (IND). Former U20 World Championships medalist HARSHITA (IND), U17 world medalist Jaskaran SINGH (IND), U23 Asian champion RADHIKA (IND) and Nikhil YADAV (IND), who will participate in the upcoming U20 World Championships in Spain are all out of the IIS stable.

UWW's involvement in this partnership is part of its broader strategic global development plan, which aims to elevate the sport of wrestling worldwide, with a particular focus on supporting the growth of wrestling in India.

Both UWW and IIS are eager to begin this collaborative journey, confident that their joint efforts will contribute significantly to the success and international recognition of Indian wrestling. Their joint efforts will contribute significantly to the success and international recognition of Indian wrestling.