#development

UWW donates mats to Panama Wrestling Federation

Thursday, June 16, 2022 - 12:15 By United World Wrestling Press

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PANAMA CITY, Panama (June 16) -- United World Wrestling donated two new wrestling mats for the development of wrestling in Panama.

With excellent management from the Panama Olympic Committee and the Panama National Wrestling Federation, together with the Development Department of the UWW, these mats were delivered to Panama.

One of the mats was given to the Barraza Pitbull Club, affiliated with the Panama National Wrestling Federation, and to celebrate such an important contribution to sports development; the club held sports gathering with athletes from the provinces of Cocle, Colon, and Panama at the Jesus Master Gomez Gymnasium in the popular Barraza neighborhood in Panama City.

The new mat will be available for the benefit of children and young sportsmen and athletes of the community. President of the Panama Olympic Committee, Damaris Young was also present at the occasion.

The second donated mat was donated to the Provincial League of Herrera, which will make it available to the wrestlers of the region at the Pepe Osorio Gymnasium in Chitré.

These actions taken by the UWW are an incentive to continue promoting wrestling in countries that do not have significant development in the sport.

All mats in the development mat program are a benefit of the partnership between United World Wrestling and Taishan. For Taishan mats, please contact taishan@taishansports.com.

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Lalovic attends WADA Conference, completes development visits in Asia

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 - 12:45 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 8) -- United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC, who serves on the WADA Executive Committee as an IOC representative, attended the 2025 WADA World Conference held from December 1 to 5 in Busan, Korea.

The conference brought together the global anti-doping community for high-level discussions on the World Anti-Doping Program, with a key focus on approving the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards. The revision process, launched in September 2023, has allowed stakeholders to contribute to strengthening and modernizing the global anti-doping system.

Nenad LALOVIC

Development visits

President Lalovic also completed wrestling-related visits to China, Korea, and Kyrgyzstan, reinforcing UWW’s commitment to supporting National Federations and expanding the sport across the region.

In each country, Lalovic emphasized UWW’s ongoing efforts to deepen cooperation with National Federations, increase engagement, and grow wrestling at the elite and grassroots levels. He encouraged federations to integrate wrestling programs into schools, offering more opportunities for young athletes to enter the sport.

Nenad LALOVIC

A key area of discussion was UWW’s development strategy leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, including updates on Olympic qualification, the Pro Series, and opportunities available to National Federations.

In China, meetings were held with Vice Minister of General Administration of Sport of China Lixin TONG and Vice President of National Olympic Committee of China Jinqiang ZHOU.

UWW also recently announced the addition of Raul TRUJILLO DIAZ, longtime coach of Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) and recipient of the 2025 IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, to support global development of Greco-Roman. Lalovic highlighted that such initiatives strengthen the sport and promote valuable exchanges of expertise among federations and coaches.

MoU

MoU signed in Kyrgyzstan

During the visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan inaugurated a new wrestling arena and academy, marking a significant step forward in its cooperation with UWW.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between UWW and Izabekov Wrestling Academy to expand development programs and training opportunities in the country.

Accompanied by UWW Asia President Mohammad Al-AWAMLEH and Secretary General Carlos ROY, Lalovic met with representatives of the Kyrgyzstan federation to discuss regional initiatives and long-term development plans.

On December 6, Lalovic was received by Sadyr JAPAROV, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, to whom he presented the UWW medal in recognition of his support for wrestling.