Obituary

Turkish Olympic Champion Bayram Şit Passes Away

Friday, May 31, 2019 - 14:19 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

Bayram Şit, a 1952 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, passed away on Wednesday, May 29. He was 89 years old. 

Şit competed in the featherweight division for Turkey. After claiming a gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, Şit added a silver medal at the 1954 World Championships. In 1956, Sit placed fourth at the Olympic Games in Melbourne.


After his competitive wrestling career, Şit worked as a trainer for Turkey's national team. He went on train the French national team for two years, helping many French wrestlers win medals. 

Şit was buried in the Karşıyaka memorial cemetery. 

Obituary

Olympian and longtime referee Eberhard Probst passes away

Thursday, February 22, 2024 - 10:11 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 22) -- Two-time world bronze medalist and Olympian Eberhard PROBST from Germany passed away at the age of 69 years.

Probst was born on June 4, 1955, in Querfurt, where he grew up and began wrestling in 1966 at his club the BSG Merseburg. He attended the Children's and Youth Sports School in Halle an der Saale. From 1970 to 1985, Probst collected 17 East German championship titles for the Chemie Halle Sports Club, making him one of the most successful national freestyle wrestling champions all over Germany. 

At the international level, Probst won World Championships bronze medals in 1979 and 1982 while finishing fifth at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He also placed eighth at the 1976 Montreal Games. He also won bronze medals at the European Championships in 1976, 1979 and 1981.

After his active career, Probst began a career as a referee in 1984 and, due to his reserved, factual-calm, and expert manner, also internationally developed into one of the best referees in the world from 1986 onwards.

Probst was nominated for his first Olympic Games as a referee in 2004, the third overall, in Athens. As the only German mat official, he represented Germany at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At the World Championships in Herning, Denmark, in 2009, he received the Golden Whistle, the highest award for referees by UWW.