Development

United World Wrestling Supports the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Monday, May 28, 2018 - 12:57 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (May 28) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) is pleased to announce its collaboration with the United Nations Human Rights Office to support its campaign for the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Born out of two World Wars, the Declaration is just as relevant today as it was on its first day. To highlight what the Declaration means for people in their everyday lives, the UN Human Rights Office launched a yearlong campaign that will culminate on December 10, 2018 - the actual anniversary date of the adoption of the Declaration.

As a partner in the Olympic Movement, United World Wrestling is committed to improving its anti-discrimination efforts, advancing gender equality and promoting fair play within the sport of wrestling.

UWW’s collaboration with the UN Human Rights Office includes a video interview featuring South African wrestler Ms. Madi MPHO as a Human Rights Champion and a joint call from athletes worldwide to support the #standup4humanrights campaign. A “Wrestling for All” open day event will also be organized in South Africa at the end of the year to mark Human Rights Day.

“We have made substantial progress towards gender equality and fair play in wrestling,” said Nenad LALOVIC, President of United World Wrestling and executive board member of the International Olympic Committee. “Our goal of this collaboration is to demonstrate our determination to continue our effort to enhance the contribution of sport to the sustainable development of society.”

Saitiev, three-time Olympic champion, passes away aged 49

Sunday, March 2, 2025 - 17:40 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 2) -- Wrestling legend, three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion Buvaisar SAITIEV passed away Sunday. He was 49 years old and nine days short of his 50th birthday.

Saitiev was buried in the village of Novokuli in the Novolaksky district of Dagestan on Tuesday, March 4.

Saitiev, widely considered the best Freestyle wrestler of all time, was born in Dagestan but moved to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia to train at the Mindiashvili wrestling academy under the legendary coach Dmitri Mindiashvili.

The 49-year-old announced his retirement soon after winning his third Olympic title in Beijing 2008. His other two titles came in 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics. In 2000 Sydney Olympics, Brandon SLAY (USA) defeated him.

Apart from the world and Olympic titles, Saitiev was six-time European champion.

 

United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC expressed his shock on the untimely passing of Saitiev.

"The wrestling family is in shock with the passing of Saitiev," Lalovic said. "He was a legend of the sport and we lost him at a very young age of 49. Saitiev inspired wrestlers around the world and many took up the sport because of him. It's an unrepairable loss to the wrestling community and we are with the Saitiev family during this time of grief."

In 2007, Saitiev was awarded as the best Freestyle wrestler in history by UWW [then FILA].

Wrestling majorly in the 74kg weight class, Saitiev stood at 183 centimetres and made his World Championships debut in Atlanta, 1995. A year later, he won the gold medal at 74kg at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

He became world champion in 1997 and 1998 but did not participate in 1999. He lost to Slay in early rounds of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and finished ninth.

But he captured the gold medals again at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships and returned to the top at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He became the world champion in 2005 and 2006 and claimed his third Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.