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More than Medals Africa Delivered in Tunisia

Saturday, April 20, 2019 - 16:12 By Tim Foley

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HAMMAMET, Tunisia (April 10) -- Wrestlers, referees, and officials from 15 nations attended the 2019 More than Medals, Africa program last month in Tunisia. The multi-day event was open to all national federations in Africa and included wrestling-focused programming for all UWW age categories.

The program was highlighted by an anti-doping educational course led by Carlos Roy, UWW General Affairs Director.

Hammamet University, delivered the new Sport for Climate Action initiative in collaboration with Tunisian Foundation for Eco-Conscience.

MTM Africa also included an NF workshop covering proper event registration and the qualification process for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The course was delivered by Jean Daniel Rey, director of the UWW Sports Department and Youssef Bouaziz, IT Specialist.

UWW Development director Deqa Niamkey and Vincent AKA, development officer for Africa, helped deliver a number of athlete focused development programs. 

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Lopez's coach Trujillo Diaz Joins UWW Development Efforts

Monday, December 1, 2025 - 06:52 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (November 28) -- Raul TRUJILLO DIAZ, longtime coach of Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) and recipient of 2025 International Olympic Committee Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, has signed a development contract with United World Wrestling.

Following Lopez's appointment last year as the UWW Global Wrestling Promotion Ambassador, now Trujillo Diaz will also work with UWW with a focus on youth development, coach education, and high-performance training systems.

During his visit to the UWW in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Trujillo met with UWW President Nenad LALOVIC for an in-depth discussion on the future of the sport. Their conversation addressed coaching standards, talent retention, and sustainable pathways to support athletes from the youth level through elite competition.

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"We all know the importance of having a good coach," Lalovic said. "We need to keep wrestling talents, especially great coaches, within the sport to ensure knowledge sharing and the long-term development of wrestling."

Trujillo’s new responsibilities will complement the work of Lopez who became the first athlete to win five Olympic gold medals in the same sport at Paris 2024. They will contribute to UWW’s global development initiatives as the organization continues its efforts to grow wrestling worldwide and support the next generation of athletes.