#WrestleBelgrade

Olympic champs Sadulaev, Sidakov, Uguev headline AIN freestyle entries

By United World Wrestling Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (Spetember 12) --- Olympic champions Abdulrashid SADULAEV, Zaurbek SIDAKOV and Zavur UGUEV headline the Independent Neutral Athlete’s (AIN) roster for the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24.

Each AIN athlete went through a rigorous vetting process by United World Wrestling in preparation for the Senior World Championships.

In total, 235 individuals from Russia and Belarus underwent thorough background and social media checks. This encompassed wrestlers across all styles and categories, as well as their accompanying support personnel. Out of the 235 names, 30 individuals were deemed ineligible due to either active support of the ongoing war or confirmed membership in military or national security agencies.

The decisions regarding eligibility were made by a panel, relying on comprehensive vetting reports provided by an independent and private intelligence service provider.

All athletes from Russia or Belarus will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, without any flags or references to their respective countries. Additionally, the national anthems of Russia and Belarus will not be played in the event of medals being awarded to these athletes.

The 2023 World Championships kick off September 16-24, in Belgrade, Serbia. Fans can follow all the action live on UWW+, or on the "The Home of Wrestling," UWW's app.

Please note: United World Wrestling will continue monitoring the AIN athletes. This is an ongoing process and any new information regarding their eligibility is subject to change.

Independent Neutral Athlete’s (AIN) roster:
57kg - Zavur UGUEV
61kg - Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV
65kg - Shamil MAMEDOV
70kg - Evgenii ZHERBAEV
74kg - Zaurbek SIDAKOV
79kg - Akhmed USMANOV
86kg - Arslan BAGAEV
92kg - Magomed KURBANOV / Vladislav VALIEV
97kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV
125kg - Abdulla KURBANOV

#development

ISF Gymnasiade in Zlatibor adds coaching seminar for Serbian coaches

By United World Wrestling Press

ZLATIBOR, Serbia (April 24) -- United World Wrestling partnered with the International School Sports Federation (ISF) to provide a coaching education seminar for Serbian coaches at the ISF Gymnasiade, which was held in Zlatibor, Serbia, from April 4-12, with the wrestling competition being held from April 6-8.

Wrestling has been a part of each of the Gymnasiade events, and the previous edition was held in Bahrain last October.

As part of the Gymnasiade events, ISF focuses on providing education to coaches and PE teachers. UWW was fortunate to give a training session for Serbian coaches at this event.

The training was led by UWW Educators Georgi SREDKOV (BUL), Neven ZUGAJ (CRO and Nenad ZUGAJ (CRO).

The seminar was attended by 23 coaches over the two sessions. The morning session focused on sound strategies for coaching and better understanding wrestling rules. The afternoon session was a practical session on the mats that focused on sharing wrestling techniques and implementing interactive games. 

Sredkov also participated in the ISF Forum on Beyond the Events: How School Sports Shape Future Leaders, which was held on April 9.

During the Forum, Sredkov discussed how wrestling helps athletes learn to find solutions to problems, how competing helps handle pressure and remain calm and focused, and the importance of collaboration for success. 

The wrestling competition was held in Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling, and 303 athletes from 16 countries participated. The results can be found here.