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In Southeast Asia, boost in referee numbers

Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 05:51 By United World Wrestling Press

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (May 25) -- In a bid to improve the skills of referees in the region, an Introduction to Refereeing course was hosted by the Cambodian Wrestling Federation prior to the South East Asian Games.

The course was conducted between May 8-12 and organized by the President of Southeast Asia and Vice President of CWF Casey BARNETT.

Conducted by United World Wrestling Educator and IS Olympic referee Ashok KUMAR (IND), the course allowed referees from Southeast Asia to improve their skills prior to being evaluated at SEA Games for a potential UWW referee license.

There were 17 participants that took part in the course. This included referees from Cambodia, Indonesia, and Ukraine.

“Most of the candidates were young referees in their twenties. They were extremely enthusiastic and excited to learn about referee skills," Kumar said.

During the course, participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee. The areas covered during the course included: the safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout.

The five-day course gave the participants extra practice because of the limited wrestling activities in the region.

Cambodia

Each day, they conducted theoretical sessions in the morning at the CamEd International Business School. Then in the afternoon, the participants had practical sessions at the training hall.

"The extra practice and longer course were perfect for the candidates. This was evident with the amount of improvement they showed on the final day of the course,” Kumar added.

At the conclusion of the course, the referee candidates completed the UWW Level 1 course and practical during the SEA Games. With their performance, they hope to see an increase in the number of UWW-licensed referees.

“The training course was a wonderful success with the excellent class instruction of Kumar and the amazing mentoring and supervision of Jang. The skills developed by our referees will make a long-lasting impact on the sport of wrestling in Southeast Asia by improving the standard of refereeing and competitions in the region," Barnett said.

Even the participants of the course expressed their satisfaction and hailed the course as transformative.

"Throughout the SEA Games in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to participate in Referee Training Course which was educated by an expert educator from UWW. I used to doubt and ask myself if I can make it or not. As a result [of the course], I was able to successfully achieve it,” Huy LYSIENG, a Cambodian referee, said.

Another referee added that the emphasis was put on the right areas and the course will help them perform their duty in the right manner. 

“I particularly enjoyed the structure of the course," Mykyta SHYMKO, a referee from Ukraine, said. "It managed to strike a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, allowing us not only to understand the rules of wrestling but also to apply them in practice. It was also wonderful to see that you placed special emphasis on ethics and fairness in refereeing, making our sessions even more valuable.”

2026 U17 World Championships

U17 World Championships 2026 Day 4 Women's Wrestling Results & Highlights

Thursday, July 30, 2026 - 06:45 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (July 30) -- The U17 World Wrestling Championships will see Women's Wrestling in 40kg, 46kg, 53kg, 61kg and 69kg. Here are the storylines for Women's Wrestling.

Use code BUNDLE20 to get 20 percent off on UWW+ subscription and watch U17, U20 and U23 World Championships.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | DAY 3 RESULTS

The semifinals will begin at 17:00 hours local time

13:45: Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) with a second fall of the day to enter the semifinal at 69kg. She gets the pin over Sophia ANASTASE (ROU) and is now two wins away from history.

13:35: Wrestlers from neither Tunisia nor Colombia had ever wrestled for a medal at the U17 World Championships. With Rahma REZGUI (TUN) and Alejandra SERRANO (COL) in the 53kg quarterfinals, that was about to change. For most of the bout, it seemed that Rezgui will go to the semifinal as she had a comfortable 6-0 lead. But Serrano with the turnaround in the second period against a tiring Rezgui and she win 7-6 with points in the final five seconds!

13:31: Marlee SOLOMON (USA) with a fall over Fatima BAYRAMOVA (AZE) at 53kg! The match was in balance at the break with Solomon leading only 2-1 but she changed the approach in the second period, leading 8-1 before getting the fall

13:29: Graciela ENINGO (ESP) with a surprise win over Waka AWANO (JPN) at 69kg and that too with a fall. Eningo was leading 3-1 when Awano hit a four-pointer but Eningo recovered and put Awano in danger with a headlock. The fall was called with 15 seconds left.

13:24: Aruzhan BAKYTNUR (KAZ) ends Mariama KABA (GUI) dream run at 61kg. Kaba reached the quarterfinals but could not get past Bakytnur who won 6-2.

13:22: Zaytuna SAPAROVA (UZB) was leading Sophia VALDEZ (USA) 2-2 and she tried to spin behind and tried to fling Valdez who landed on top of Saparova and got the fall.    

13:20: Azerbaijan was close to getting its first semifinalist as Gulkhanim SHIRINOVA (AZE) was leading 4-2 in the 40kg match against Tasmin ATHIMNI (TUN). But the Tunisia wrestler hits a bog throw and then gets the fall over Shirinova who has been reduced to tears.

13:15: Natsumi SASAKI (JPN) with her quick low single attacks to unsettle Rohini DEVBA (IND) who had no gameplan against Sasaki who wins the 40kg bout, 10-0.

13:14: Sandhya VISHNOI (IND) counters everything that Alina BARANOVA (RUS) threw at her in the 46kg quarterfinals. She wins the bout 10-0 and advances to the semifinals.

13:08: Kamila TEMIRAEVA (RUS) threw Landri VON GONTEN (USA) for four points and lead 4-2 at the break in their 61kg bout. She then scored a takedown to extend her lead to 6-2. But as the time ticked, Von Gonten scored a four-pointer to take a 6-6 criteria lead and win the bout. After a long challenge, the result does not change but Von Gonton gets two points for the late go-behind, making her an 8-6 winner.

13:02: Madison HEALEY (USA) a counter lift for exposure and two points against Kokona MAKINO (JPN) but that was all Makino allowed her. Makino brought out those low singles and completed an 8-2 win over Healey at 46kg.

12:47: Hibiki IIDA (JPN) needed to defend only for six more seconds as Khuslen MUNKHBAYASGALAN (MGL) was trying to pin for over a minute. But Munkhbayasgalan put so much pressure that Iida could not defend and gave up the fall with 2:06 left.  

12:33: Two-time U17 world champion Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) opens her campaign and a historic chase of third gold with a fall over TANIYA (IND). A very quick fall for the American which has left Taniya in shock.

12:22: Returning bronze medalist Mariia ZHYTOVOZ (HUN) is left in shock after Marlee SOLOMON (USA) beats her 5-4 at 53kg in the final 2 seconds. Zhytovoz took a 4-0 but Solomon scored a takedown in the second period to cut the lead to 4-2. Zhytovoz was backing away in the final 10 seconds when Solomon scored a front exposure for two points and take the 4-4 criteria win. Zhytovoz challenged the call but there was change in the result, only a point was added to Solomon's score for lost challenge.

12:20: Mariama KABA (GUI), the first-ever U17 wrestler from Guinea, is now into the 61kg quarterfinals after a 12-2 win over Marharyta OVCHARENKO (ISR).

12:10: Landri VON GONTEN (USA) with another dominant win. She beats Marisa ITURRINO (PUR) at 61kg and advances to the quarterfinals.

12:05: Alejandra SERRANO (COL), hoping to becoming Colombia's first world medalist in Women's Wrestling at U17 level, gets a fall over Nomin SHINEBAYAR (MGL) at 61kg. Serrano with a powerful takedown and keep Shinebayar on the mat till the fall is called.

11:53: Much better day for Japan so far. Kokona MAKINO (JPN) gut wrenches Mungunchimeg GAVAA (MGL) to win her 46kg bout, 10-0. At 61kg, Waka AWANO (JPN) (EST) wins 12-1 against Karol TAMSON (EST).

11:45: U17 European champion at 46kg Alina BARANOVA (RUS) outclasses Kateryna HOZHELOVA (UKR), 10-0, in her opening bout. Baranov's gut-wrench completely unsettled Hozhelova

11:35: Rion OGAWA (JPN) starts her 53kg campaign with a 10-0 technical superiority win over Ecrin SALIK (TUR). Ogawa is younger sister of Rinka, a U20 and U17 world champion

11:20 Mariia ZHYTOVOZ (HUN), the returning bronze medalist at 53kg, starts with a 10-0 technical superiority win over Zuzanna SOKOLOWSKA (POL). The Hungary wrestler used the gut-wrench to score her points.

11:15: Landri VON GONTEN (USA) and AVANSHIKA (IND) were going toe-to-toe before Von Gonten got an armbar and pinned Avanshika to advance at 61kg.

11:05: Waka AWANO (JPN) was no where in the bout against Yuliia HOLHOVSKA (UKR) at 61kg. But in the second period, she managed to take a 4-4 criteria lead. Holhovska lost her balance and Awano scored a go-behind for a 6-4 lead. She transitioned into a lace and won the bout 14-4.

10:30: The repechage bouts will kick off the day with at least three matches on each mat. The qualification rounds begins after.