Women's Wrestling

Wrestler Yasemin Adar Wins Mustafa Koç Sports Award

Monday, September 17, 2018 - 22:58 By GİLA BENMAYOR

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Mustafa Koç, the late Turkish businessman who we lost too soon, was a leading advocate of the United Nations’ “HeForShe” initiative, which aims to get the support of men for gender equality. If he could have seen who won the second Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award, organized by Holding and the Turkish Olympics Committee, he would surely have been very pleased.

Designed by the famous designer Ivan Chermayeff, and presented by Caroline Koç, the wife of the late businessman, the award trophy was received this year by 2018 World Wrestling Champion Yasemin Adar.

She is Turkey’s first woman world champion wrestler. Adar, who also earned a 200,000 Turkish Lira prize, is a three-time successive (2016-2017-2018) world champion. When top jury Caroline Koç announced the award, she described Adar as “determined, hardworking and disciplined.” After an emotional introductory film, Adar’s speech revealed the determination of a woman who chose wrestling, widely considered a “sports for men.”
 

Do women ever wrestle? 

“When I started wrestling, there were many prejudices. I was often told I should not do this sport and that I could not do it. As a woman, I proved what I could achieve by ignoring what was being said, by never giving up, believing in myself, never stopping and by practicing with passion.”

Adar is a role model for all women in Turkey who wish to take up wrestling.

In many cities of Turkey, there are “women’s wrestling clubs” which were opened after Adar’s successes.

There are many girls who wish to follow her and achieve success just like her. Adar already stressed this in her speech. “I now believe that my struggle was for the new generation of wrestler girls. I stepped on that mat in order to lead their way.”

A legendary name in the Olympics

Another meaningful speech during the ceremony was made by another woman who thought exactly the same as Adar years ago in the sense of leading the way for women. The first African Muslim female athlete who managed to win a gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics: Nawal El Moutawakel from Morocco.

El Moutawakel, who used to be a vice president in the International Olympics Committee and who became Morocco’s sports and youth minister twice, is one of the legendary figures of the Olympics. Today, she is one of the leading figures of the international Olympics community.

“When I participated in the 1984 Olympics, nobody knew me and nobody believed in me,” she said in her speech.

During her successful career, El Moutawakel struggled for women’s liberation in sports.

“I am where I stand now thanks to the sports,” she said. El Moutawakel, who led the way for Muslim female athletes in the 1980s, and Adar, who leads the way for the female wrestling sports in Turkey, came together due to the Mustafa Koc Sports Awards. Watching and listening to them was a pleasure for all ceremony attendees.

#SportsDepartment

UWW organizes fourth edition Event Organizing Workshop

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - 13:32 By United World Wrestling Press

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TIRANA, Albania (October 23) — Over the last decade, United World Wrestling (UWW) has focused on improving the quality of its events. To keep this improvement on track, UWW organized its fourth edition of the Event Organizing Workshop from October 17 to 22 in Tirana, within the framework of the U23 World Championship.

Nine countries, including China, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Namibia, participated in the workshop, which was held before the U23 World Championships.

Led by UWW Sports and Development Officer Yuri MAIER (ARG) and Senior Competition Manager Ramil AHMADOV (AZE), the workshop provided valuable insight into the complexities of organizing international wrestling events.

Participants arrived in Albania on October 17 and engaged in four theoretical sessions on October 18 and 19. On October 20 and 21, they had the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically by observing key event functions such as the technical meeting, draw, and weigh-in.

In addition to covering many relevant topics, the workshop featured contributions from UWW staff members specializing in Accreditation, Photography, Technology & Results, and Marketing and Communications. These sessions, which were held with the support of local organizing committees, helped participants understand the role of various departments in delivering a successful event.

KAKadir CALISKAN (GER), UWW's Photo Manager, presents at the Event Organizing Workshop. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Participants gave overwhelmingly positive feedback, praising the workshop’s structure and content. One attendee highlighted, "The level of engagement and interaction during the sessions was fantastic. The facilitators were knowledgeable, and the practical exercises were crucial in helping us understand how to apply the concepts in real-world scenarios."

Another participant added, "The networking opportunities were invaluable. Meeting professionals from different countries allowed us to exchange ideas and best practices, which will certainly help in future event organization."

Maier emphasized the importance of continuous learning, stating, "Workshops like this allow us to strengthen our network of event organizers across the world. By sharing experiences and knowledge, we ensure that every event is better than the last."

Ahmadov echoed this sentiment, adding, "The practical experience of seeing the U23 World Championship preparation up close is invaluable. It’s one thing to discuss logistics in theory but seeing them unfold in real time makes all the difference."

Overall, the Event Organization Workshop provided an excellent learning platform for participants, empowering them to organize events more efficiently and effectively in the future. It contributed to the growth and be capable of delivering better wrestling events worldwide.

United World Wrestling will continue to support and organize such Workshop in the years to come and already welcome all the interested Federations for the next editions.