Anti-Doping

Wrestling to Join with Newly Formed International Testing Agency Through Tokyo 2020

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 18) – United World Wrestling’s bureau has agreed to sign with the International Testing Agency (ITA) to oversee and manage the sport’s anti-doping program.  Wrestling joins a growing list of International Federations who’ve signed with ITA in the past few months.

ITA will be in charge of wrestling’s entire anti-doping program, which includes in-competition and out-of-competition testing, results management including decision for positive tests, therapeutic use exemptions, and athlete education. United World Wrestling will remain responsible for being compliant to the WADA code.

“We are excited to join with the ITA to help ensure that our athletes have access to proper information about anti-doping policies and are ensured of clean competition,” said United World Wrestling president and IOC Executive board member Nenad Lalovic. “We believe the ITA will provide a good solution for wrestling by adding a number of excellent services to the organization.”

The ITA, which will take over all testing on January 1, 2018, recently old Inside the Games their mission was to restore confidence in the anti-doping system.

"We look forward to providing the global sport community and athletes with our expertise in clean sport," said the Foundation Board's President Valérie Fourneyron, the former French Sports Minister. "Our primary focus will be to regain trust by acting upon doping issues evenly across all sports worldwide."

Obituary

UWW Hall of Fame, former Medical Commission chair Tavakol passes away

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 29) -- Dr. Mohammad TAVAKOL, a former member of the United World Wrestling Bureau and Hall of Famer, passed away in Tehran at the age of 89 after a period of illness.

Born in 1923 in Qazvin, Iran, Tavakol chaired the Iranian Wrestling Federation and was the Vice President of the UWW. He also held membership in the Executive Committee of the UWW and was the chairman of the Medical Commission of UWW. He was inducted into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2011.

Tavakol graduated in medicine from the University of Tehran and studied in England for his specialization. He began his wrestling career under the supervision of the late Habibollah BOLOUR, the former head coach of the national Iranian wrestling team.

Tavakol served four six-year terms as a member of the Executive Committee of the UWW and was elected as the head of the UWW Asia for a four-year term. He had a significant impact on medical coverage of wrestling competitions during his role as the head of the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission.

UWW mourns the passing of Dr. Tavakol and expresses deepest sympathies to the Tavakol family.