Obituary

World Grappling Committee President Bochkev passes away

Thursday, May 2, 2024 - 09:25 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 2) -- United World Wrestling's World Grappling Committee's President Rizvan BOCHKEV passed away Wednesday. The sudden passing of the 59-year-old has left the UWW and its family in shock.

Bochkev, vice president of the Russian Wrestling Federation and a coach, was involved with UWW and Grappling for a long time.

Before 2013, Bochkev was an active member of Grappling and promoted it under FILA. He worked tirelessly to reintroduce it as a recognized wrestling style under UWW after it was dropped in late 2013. This gave the right recognition to a wrestling style growing in several countries.

Bochkev was elected as the President of the World Grappling Committee in 2016 and was instrumental in reintroducing the UWW World Grappling Championships. In 2022, Bochkev was re-elected as the President of the World Grappling Committee and remained an active promoter of the sport.

United World Wrestling expresses its deepest condolences to the Bochkev family.

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UWW Signs MoU with Smoothcomp for Grappling, Amateur MMA

Monday, May 18, 2026 - 07:04 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 18) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Smoothcomp AB to collaborate in the areas of event management systems, competition software, and digital solutions for UWW Associated Styles, including Grappling, Pankration, and Amateur MMA.

The MoU was signed last week in Lausanne, Switzerland and in effect for 12 months from the date of signing.

It outlines the respective roles of both organizations and provides for UWW’s evaluation and potential use of Smoothcomp’s platform for event registration and competition management, as well as support for pilot events and development projects.

The agreement also includes the exploration of potential integration between Smoothcomp’s platform and UWW systems, including Athena and related tools.

About United World Wrestling:
United World Wrestling is the international governing body for the sport of wrestling, recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Headquartered in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, UWW oversees Olympic wrestling disciplines, including Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and Women’s Wrestling, as well as associated styles such as Grappling, Pankration, Belt Wrestling, and Beach Wrestling. UWW works with national federations worldwide to promote, regulate, and develop the sport at all levels.

About Smoothcomp:
Smoothcomp AB is a Sweden-based provider of competition management software and digital solutions for combat sports and martial arts events. Its platform supports online registration, brackets, scheduling, live scoring, and event administration for organizers, athletes, coaches, and federations worldwide.