Obituary

Olympic champion Tediashvili passes away at 75

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 - 16:45 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 19) -- Two-time Olympic champion and United World Wrestling Hall of Fame wrestler Levan TEDIASHVILI passed away on Saturday. He was 75 years old.

Tediashvili won the Freestyle gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics and repeated as the Olympic champion at the 1976 Montreal Games. The two Olympic gold medals were won in 82kg and 90kg weight classes respectively.

Born on March 15, 1948, Tediashvili was a four-time world champion, winning the gold medal in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975. His world title and two Olympic medals resulted in him remaining unbeaten internationally from 1971 to 1977.

Levan TEDIASHVILI
Levan TEDIASHVILI

In 1978, he jumped to the 100kg weight class and won a silver medal at the World Championships that year. He also won European titles three times.

Georgia awarded him with Vakhtang Gorgasali First Degree Medal and the title of Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi. The wrestling legend was inducted into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2005. He also acted in awarded winning films including Brighton 4th.

UWW mourns the passing of Tediashvili and expresses its deepest sympathies to the Tediashvili family.

#development

UWW Signs MoU with Hungary University of Sports Science and KIMBA to Expand Educational Programme

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 - 09:54 By United World Wrestling Press

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (June 15) -- United World Wrestling (UWW), the Hungary Wrestling Federation (MBSZ), and the Hungarian University of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (HUSS/TF) have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening wrestling education, research, and international cooperation.

The agreement was officially signed in Budapest by UWW President Nenad LALOVIC, MBSZ President Szilard NEMETH, and HUSS Rector Tamas STERBENZ. The partnership is designed to further develop wrestling-specific educational programmes while enhancing opportunities for coaches, athletes, researchers, and sports professionals worldwide.
 KIMBAFrom left to right: HUSS Vice Rector Dr. Csaba OKROS, UWW President Nenad LALOVIC, President of MBSZ Nemeth SZILARD, HUSS Rector Dr. Tamas STERBENZ, UWW Bureau Member Peter BACSA and KIMBA Head of Trustee  Laszlo SULE.

Under the new collaboration, the institutions will work together to provide expanded educational pathways tailored to the wrestling community. The initiative will include specialized courses and programmes focused on professional development, athlete performance support, sports science, health management, and injury prevention.

The MoU also promotes international academic and professional exchanges involving students, researchers, and experts, with the broader objective of strengthening global wrestling development and cooperation.

Supported by Olympic Solidarity, four wrestling coaches recently graduated from the programme and participated in the academy’s first mentorship programme, highlighting the growing international impact of the initiative.

Several prominent figures from the wrestling and academic communities attended the signing ceremony in Budapest, including UWW Bureau Member Peter BACSA, HUSS Vice Rector Csaba OKROS, KIMBA Head of Trustee Laszlo SULE, and Assistant Professor of the Department of Martial Arts Gergely BABSZKY.

The partnership marks another important step in UWW’s efforts to professionalize wrestling education and create sustainable development opportunities for the global wrestling community.