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Otoguro, Azizli, and Rong Appointed Breakout Performers of the Year

Monday, December 24, 2018 - 05:07 By Eric Olanowski

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 24) -- Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), Eldaniz AZIZLI (AZE), and RONG Ningning (CHN) were appointed the 2018 Breakout Performers of the Year after they reached the top of the podium at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. 

Otoguro, just 19 years old and three years removed from winning the 2015 cadet world title in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, won the 65kg freestyle world title, becoming Japan’s youngest male freestyle world champion ever. Otoguro’s World Championship performance broke a Japanese record that stood in for 44 years. 

Otoguro, who averaged over 13 points a match, advanced to the finals with an impressive 15-10 win over Russian National champion and the favorite to win the weight coming into Budapest, Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS). In the finals, Otoguro defeated India’s rising star, Bajrang BAJRANG (IND), 16-9. 

In Greco-Roman, Azerbaijan’s Eldaniz Azizli shutout Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), 10-0 in the 55kg gold-medal bout. Azizli, in his first World Championships appearance, scored four technical superiority wins and averaged nearly nine points a match. 

China’s Rong Ningning held on to defeat Bulgaria’s Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA, 3-3 and won her first world title. The 2018 World Championships were Rong’s second World Championship appearance, but her Budapest gold medal was her first career world medal. She finished last year, which was her rookie campaign, in fifth-place. 

In addition to her world title run, Rong also won gold medals at the Asian Championships, the China Open, the Poland Open, and the Ivan Yarygin, while also finishing in second and third place respectively at the U23 World Championships and the Alexander Medved Prizes. 

The next award to be released will be the Outstanding Performances award, which will come out on Thursday.

UWW and Iran sign MoU to bring Chouke under Associated Styles

Sunday, April 20, 2025 - 13:07 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 20) — United World Wrestling and the Iran Wrestling Federation took a significant step to promote Choukhe, signing a four-year Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU will enable both organizations to work together to promote and protect Chouke, a traditional form of wrestling, under the UWW Associated Styles.

Both UWW and the Iranian federation will also work to develop Chouke under their umbrella. This agreement's objective is to facilitate the protection, development, and promotion of Chouke. As per the agreement, both parties will hold regular meetings to exchange ideas and share knowledge.

Chouke is a traditional form of wrestling in Iran with wrestlers performing on mud in a marked circular ring. Each bout is of five minutes with more than one bout conducted at the same time. In case of a tie with a one-minute break, three minutes of extra time are added. Within three minutes, the wrestler who earns the first point will be the winner.

This style of wrestling does not allow the wrestler to touch his opponent's legs. The bout can only be fought with grips above the waist. There are different ways to score points in Chouke.

One point is awarded for a takedown, two points are awarded if a throw is completed outside the ring, and one if completed inside. Most other moves award only one point. A fall occurs when even one shoulder touches the ground.

Both wrestlers have to wear the official clothes to compete in Chouke. A t-shirt, a special jacket and a short are considered to be official outfit. The shirt must be long enough to go below the waist and the sleeves be long till the elbow. A strong cloth belt must be tied around the waist of the wrestlers and is fixed at the back and the wrestlers compete barefoot.

The old form of wrestling has a special place in Iranian history, and the agreement will help with its growth and development in Iran. UWW's commitment to work closely with the Iran federation for Chouke is in line with its vision to grow and promote all the traditional forms of the oldest form of the sport.