UWW

UWW Renews Commissions, Committees

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 2) -- United World Wrestling announced the renewed Commissions and Committees for the '24 Paris Olympic cycle after the Bureau meeting that was held last week. 

With the recent elections of the Athletes Commission, all continents are represented in the UWW Commissions and an overall increase of women representation amongst the commissions was prevalent in the changesSix Bureau members were elected Commissions presidents, while one was given the responsibility to preside over a Committee.

Daulet Turlykhanov will continue his duty as President of the Scientific Commissions, while Mikhail Mamiashvili will hold the role of the President of the Technical Commission. Stan Dziedzic, together with Don Ryan will preside over the Coaches, while Akhroldjan Ruziev will be in charge of the Media Commission. 

Pedro Gama Filho has assumed a new position as the President of the Marketing Commission. Nataliya Yariguina has been tasked with the continuation of heading the Gender Equality Commission.

The Legal and Ethics Commission will be fronted by Belcho Goranov. Georgy Bryusov will assume the role as the President of the Sport for All Commission, as Dr. Babak Shadgan will serve as the head of the Medical Commission.

For the Refereeing Commission, Antonio Silverstri remains at the helm.

UWW also elected four Committee presidents at the Bureau meeting, starting with Pedro Silva being named the head of the Beach Wrestling Committee. 

Rizvan Bochkaev will be responsible for the Grappling Committee, as Alexei Savchuk was named the President of Pankration while Cholpon Sultanbekova will preside over the Belt Wrestling Committee.

During the meeting, the Bureau also discussed the ongoing plans to start the implementation of the Five-Year Strategic plan presented during the Belgrade Congress. The plan outlined UWW's focus on Youth, Women’s Wrestling, Associated Styles, Image of Wrestling and the Digital Transformation in the Olympic cycle and how to prioritize them at each competition from 2022-'26.

For more details about UWW's Five-Year Strategic Plan, click here or see https://uww.org/organisation/strategy.

COMMISSIONS

Scientific
President: Daulet Turlykhanov (KAZ) 

Dr. David Curby (USA)
Dr. Nabil Hosny Elshorbagy (EGY)
Prof. Jose Maria Lopez Guillon (ESP)
Prof. Dr. Georgii Korobeinikov (UKR)
Prof. Dr. Ümit Karli (TUR)
Dr. Tibor Barna (HUN)
Assist. Prof. Ioannis Barbas (GRE)
Dr. Bahman Mirzaei Ghaziani( IRI)
Assoc. Prof. Mario Baic (CRO)

Legal and Ethics
President: Belcho Goranov (BUL)

Francisco Gonzales Pineda (GUA)
Aurélie Aim-Tuil (FRA)
Michael Smith (CAN)
Roman Kudinov (SUI)
Rouzbeh Vosough Ahmadi (IRI)
Osamu Shimizu (JPN)
Carla Morais (POR)
Laura Peeters (USA)
Houcine Kharrazi (TUN)

Technical 
President: Mikhail Mamiashvili (RUS)

Alin Grigore (ROU)
Finizio Salvatore I(TA)
Peter Bacsi (HUN)
Şeref Eroğlu (TUR)|
Zhang Ye (CHN)
Daniel Igali (NGR)
Paul Ragusa (CAN)
Rich Bender (USA)

Coach
President: Stan Dziedzic USA, with Don Ryan (CAN)

Andras Sike (HUN)
Dr. Mehmet Özal (TUR)
Mindaugas Ežerskis (LTU)
Mohsen Kaveh (IRI)
Paulin Kouakou (CIV)
Yury Shakhmuradov (RUS)
Evangelia Nikolaou (GRE)

Refereeing
President: Antonio Silvestri (GER)

Halil Ibrahim Cicioglu (TUR)
Kamel Bouaziz (TUN)
Cassey Goessl (USA)
Noravard Arustamyan (RUS)
Koike Kuninori (JPN)
Sherif Halawa (EGY)
Carlos García (ESP)
Tsong-rong Jang (TPE)
Stanislav Sernek (SLO)
Ferenc Gyarmati (ROU)
Gary Bird (CAN)
Mohammad Mosalaeipour (IRI)
Rui Marta (POR) (Beach Wrestling)
Vito Paolillo (ITA) (Grappling)

Sport for All
President: Georgy Bryusov (RUS)

Samim Miya Ansari (NEP)
Gérard Santoro (FRA)
Pablo Rubén Pintos Figueroa (ESP)
P.M.D. Sandamali Chandrasena (SRI)
Jean Claude Niyukuri (BDI)
Andy Barth (USA)
Milan Pavelic (CRO)

Marketing
President: Pedro Gama Filho (BRA)

Jean-Carl Fossati (FRA)
Lajos Virág (HUN)|
Morten Sandnæs (NOR)
Prof. Dr. Süleyman Şahin (TUR)
Ali Eftekhari (IRI)
Michael Faller (GER)
Morgan Rabine (USA)
Sahif Mustapha (MAR)
Yury Federov (RUS)

Media
President: Akroldjan Ruziev (UZB)

Didier Favori (FRA)
Ali Feizasa (IRI)
Darren Matte (CAN)
Ikuo Higuchi (JPN)
Przemysław Kaliski (POL)
Taylor Gregorio (USA)
Waffa Fadou (TUN)

Medical
President: Dr Babak Shadgan (CAN)

Dr. Camillieri Gianluca (ITA)
Dr. Mika Lehto (FIN)
Dr. Szabolcs Molnár (HUN)
Dr. Francisco Salvador Lee Guandique (GUA)
Dr. Radivoj Filipov (SRB)
Dr. Loukas Konstantinou (GRE)
Dr Stefan Strugarov (BUL)
Dr. Elena Abaeva (UZB)}
Dr. Dorsaf Methni (TUN)
Dr. Irina Doulepova (RUS)

Gender Equality
President: Nataliya Yariguina (RUS)

Lise Legrand (FRA)
María Teresa Méndez Mayo (ESP)
Milica Vukasinovic Vesic (SRB)
Yareni Guerrero (AUS)
Fatemeh Dearkhshani (IRI)
Rosalie Benie (CIV)
Tamara Medwidsky (CAN)
Eri Tosaka (JPN)
Nikolay Stanchev (BUL)

COMMITTEES

Beach Wrestling
President: Pedro Silva (POR)

Magomed Magdiyev (UKR)
Gabriella Sleisz (HUN)
Mohamed Mahmoud Aly (EGY)
Jian Wang (CHN)
Marian Berbec (ROU)
Konstantinos Papakonstantinou (GRE)
Ed Duncan (USA)
Eugeny Abarius (RUS)

Grappling 
President: Rizvan Bochkaev (RUS)

Antonio Garcia Morales (ESP)
Kanat Alin (KAZ)
Serhiy Cherednichenko (UKR)
Richard Tado (USA)}
Azad Askerov (AZE)

Pankration
President: Alexei Savchuk (BLR)

Anastasia Tukmachova (UKR)}
Italo Morello (ITA)
Konstantin Klimov (RUS)
Edmar Abdoelaev (NED)
Amatto Zaharia (ROU)
Ron Hill (USA)
Pavel Pokatilov (MDA)
Evangelos Koutras (GRE)

Belt Wrestling
President: Cholpon Sultanbekova (KGZ)

Alik Shpekbayev (KAZ)
Edmar Abdoelaev (NED)
Artur Ayramidi (UKR)
Jahja Madjid (INA)
Somayeh Khani Bakhtiari (IRI)
Omarmukhtar Chandpasha Tamboli (IND)
Marian Berbec (ROU)

#WrestleTirana

Kayaalp Breaks European Record with 13th Gold Medal

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (April 21) -- "I truly believe I’ve set a record that will be very difficult to break."

Riza KAYAALP (TUR) knows the true effort it takes to win 12 gold medals at the European Championships. It took him 13 years. Now, on Tuesday, he won his record-breaking 13th gold medal at the European Championships in Tirana, moving past Aleksandr KARELIN.

With that, Kayaalp became the first wrestler in any style to win 13 golds in Europe. He defeated Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1, in a dominant 130kg final.

Apart from Tuesday's gold, Kayaalp has won European titles in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2010.

"It’s an incredible feeling," Kayaalp said. "This was my 15th final, and in my 15th final, I achieved my 13th title. This title is especially valuable to me because achieving such long-term and consistent success -- especially in Europe, where there are very strong nations -- is not easy. I’m very proud to have broken such a big record."

Wrestling Vitek in the 130kg final, Kayaalp got the par terre position in the first period and brought the strong gut-wrench he has made his own to turn Vitek three times for six points. He went into the break leading 7-0. Vitek got the par terre position in the second period but he failed to move the mountain-of-man Kayaalp.

With chants of "Riza, Riza" reverberating at the Feti Borova Hall, Kayaalp defended his lead and despite a few instances of him slipping, Vitek could not inflict any sort of danger to score any points. After six minutes of the final and history created, Kayaalp celebrated the 13th gold medal and took his own time with the fans.

"The matches were not easy. I had tough matches," he said. "One of my matches ended 1–1. In the semifinal, I can say I was subjected to some disrespect from a strong opponent in a very intense bout. But compared to those, the final match was more meaningful for me.

"When it became 7-0, well, I’m an athlete who doesn’t like to concede points," he said. "I don’t like giving points away, so I managed to protect that score. I can say I went through the second period quite comfortably, and having a 7–0 lead helped."

The last time Kayaalp built a 7-0 lead was back in 2017, when he pinned Balint LAM (HUN) in the 130kg final after a 7-0 lead.

Kayaalp's gold is a testimony to his longevity having won his first European title in 2010, a year in which his opponent in the final, Vitek, was 10 years, five months and 12 days when Kayaalp achieved his first gold.

"When you look back, you realize you’ve made 15 finals," Kayaalp said after winning the 130kg gold medal in Tirana. "Back then, I was just thinking whether I could win one or two medals. But then, making the final every time at the European Championships, it’s like a child being born and growing up to 15 years old."

Photo

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Emin SEFERSHAEV (UWW) df. Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO), 2-1

BRONZE: Rashad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Omer RECEP (TUR), 8-0
BRONZE: Stefan GRIGOROV (BUL) df. Manvel KHACHATRYAN (ARM), 3-1

63kg
GOLD: Sergey EMELIN (UWW) df. Vitalie ERIOMENCO (MDA), 9-0

BRONZE: Karen ASLANYAN (ARM) df. Mairbek SALIMOV (POL), 11-0
BRONZE: Kerem KAMAL (TUR) df. Pridon ABULADZE (GEO), 6-2

77kg
GOLD: Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) df. Ramaz ZOIDZE (GEO), 1-1

BRONZE: Edvin BAFF (SWE) df. Alexandrin GUTU (MDA), 2-1
BRONZE: Robert FRITSCH (HUN) df. Antonio KAMENJASEVIC (CRO), 1-1

87kg
GOLD: Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN) df. Semen NOVIKOV (BUL), via fall (8-4)

BRONZE: Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR) df. Ihar YARASHEVICH (UWW), 1-1
BRONZE: Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Dogan KAYA (TUR), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Riza KAYAALP (TUR) df. Darius VITEK (HUN), 7-1

BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (UWW) df. Marat KAMPAROV (UWW), 10-5
BRONZE: Mykhailo VYSHNYVETSKYI (UKR) df. Beka KANDELAKI (AZE), 3-1