United World Wrestling

United World Wrestling's Statement on Conflict in Ukraine

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 2) -- The UWW Bureau met today to discuss the conflict taking place in Ukraine.

From the outset, the Bureau wished to express its solidarity with the Wrestling community, and more largely, the sports community in Ukraine and all the people affected by the war.

It re-affirmed one of the missions of the Federation, in line with the Olympic Charter, to promote peace through sports.

In order to preserve the safety of all athletes and the integrity and fairness of all its competitions, as a measure of reciprocity for all wrestlers prevented to travel and compete due to this situation, the Bureau carefully reviewed, and decided to align with the events protective measures recommended by the IOC in its statement of February 28, 2022: “In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organizers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions”.

In this deplorable situation, the Bureau has decided that no wrestlers or officials belonging to the UWW affiliated and associated federations in Russia and Belarus shall be, with immediate effect, invited or allowed to participate in international competitions in the UWW calendar.

The Bureau also approved the cancellation of the International Tournaments planned in Russia or Belarus this year as per the IOC’s urgent recommendation of February 25, 2022.

The Bureau also acknowledged the messages from its stakeholders and members about the current situation. 

The UWW Bureau will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and make any further immediate decisions as the situation evolves.

The UWW is in close contact with the IOC to coordinate any humanitarian support.

#WrestleZagreb, #development

Enhance Zagreb experience: Conferences, workshops, fan zones

By United World Wrestling Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 3) -- The World Championships in Zagreb will be another milestone for United World Wrestling and its promote wrestling.

From assistance to first-ever world conference, UWW is set to host numerous activities before and during the World Championships that enhance the experience of wrestlers, coaches, fans and other stakeholders.

As many 114 athletes and coaches from 41 countries will receive financial assistance from UWW's Technical Assistance Program for the World Championships. They will receive financial support to participate in the tournament for their respective nations. 

Continuing it's Elite Female Coaches Scholarships, UWW has awarded it to five coaches for the World Championships. Four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO (JPN) and Africa's first Olympic medalist in Women's Wrestling Marwa AMRI (TUN) will be two of the beneficiaries of this scholarships.

During the World Championships, UWW will host its first-ever World Conference, from September 17-19. The three-day event will bring together leaders from national federations and various commissions to discuss the future of wrestling. Key topics include athlete career transitions, anti-doping, sports nutrition, and the advancement of women's wrestling.

A workshop for the National Federations is also scheduled to be held on September 19 during the World Conference.

The Scientific Symposium will also held during September 17-19 to discuss scientific wrestling, weight management, data analysis among other topics.

The World Championships will also witness the UWW Athletes' Commission Elections. These will be held throughout the World Championships, September 13-21, with participating wrestlers able to vote for the nominees.

For the wrestlers, the Croatian Wrestling Federation, with the support of UWW will organize an acclimatization camp from September 5 to 16 in Porec, organized by the Croatian NF and financially supported by UWW.

During the acclimatization camp, an education booth will be set up by the Integrational Testing Agency (ITA), on September 8 and 9. The booth is set up to educate wrestlers, coaches and mangers about anti-doping programs.
 
The Zagreb Arena will have fan zones with activities as well throughout the September 13-21 World Championships.