Development

United World Wrestling and Partners Host “Wrestling 4 All Open Day” in South Africa

Friday, November 30, 2018 - 12:51 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (November 30) -- United World Wrestling, in partnership with Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and coordination by the South African Wrestling Federation, is hosting a “Wrestling 4 All Open Day” December 1st in Randburg South Africa.

The event has been coordinated in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“We are happy to be partnered with the [OHCHR] for this event,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. “Our goal is to grow the sport of wrestling and show it’s unique power to bring people together through sport. We believe that wrestling can be physical fitness and fun for all ages, but also allow for better dialogue among those who have disagreements.”

The “Wrestling 4 All Open Day” is an opportunity for kids, youth and adults in the area to participate in a variety of wrestling-related events. In addition to an Olympic style wrestling tournament there will be beach wrestling and fitness activities. There day will also feature United World Wrestling’s “Wrestle4Fun” program run by human rights champion Mpho MADI (RSA). Children up to 13 years of age are eligible to participate in the games session.

Athletes learning more about wrestling-specific conditioning and training earlier this year in Croatia (Photo: Max Rose Fyne)

Coaches and athletes interested in high-level fitness certifications will also have the chance to participate in the day’s events. United World Wrestling global supplier Suples Wrestling, led by founder Ivan Ivanov, will host a two-day certification camp allowing attendees to learn more about how to utilize equipment for wrestling-based training.

The South African Wrestling Federation, with the support of its National Olympic Committee, is hosting an Olympic Solidarity UWW Level 1 coaches course and the Introduction to Refereeing simultaneously at the event.

A #standup4humanrights exhibition will also be on site, allowing visitors to learn more about the struggle for human rights and the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The “Wrestling 4 All Open Day” will be held December 1 at the Danie Van Zyl Rec Center in Newlands, Randburg South Africa.

More than 1000 Wrestlers in Saudi Arabia's Biggest Competition

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 - 16:40 By United World Wrestling Press

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (February 24) -- Saudi Arabia organized its largest wrestling competition to date with more than 1000 wrestlers participating in the 10-day event.

The Saudi Wrestling Federation organized the event from February 8 to 17 with wrestling in Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling. The age groups included U12, U17, U23 and senior level.

The tournament was also open to government and private clubs which surged the number of wrestlers participating. The clubs included wrestlers from different nationalities. According to the Saudi federation, 1,173 wrestlers participated with 1,034 male and 139 female wrestlers.

Over the 10 days, 1,491 matches were conducted using the official UWW Arena competition management system to ensure professional organization, transparency, and technical accuracy.

"The number of registered wrestlers in the Kingdom has doubled in recent years," Sherif HALAWA, UWW Certified Educator & Head of Sports Performance of the Saudi Wrestling Federation, said. "This development has already produced historic achievements, including Saudi Arabia’s first-ever Asian silver medal at the U20 Asian Championships."

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, which termed the event as National Championships, has made steady success recently. It has also managed to grow wrestling at grassroots, women’s participation, referee development, and high-performance pathways.

"The technical level of Saudi wrestlers has improved significantly in recent years," Yusup ABDULSALAMOV, Senior Manager of High Performance at the Saudi Olympic Training Center, said. "There are promising talents capable of achieving strong international results in the near future. Saudi wrestling is clearly on the right path."