Referee Game

Wrestling Releases Online Game to Challenge Fans

Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - 14:51 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 28) -- Think you know the rules of wrestling? Can you call the action on the mat as accurately as the sport's best referees? Well, now you can test your knowledge online.

Created by the UWW Referee and Development departments in collaboration with the Communication team to be a fun and interactive exercise, "UWW #1 – Scoring Situations" on Kahoot, is an online-refereeing simulation, the first of its kind for the sport.

The game consists of 20 action sequences taken from UWW match footage and asks the fans to score as though they were the referee. For fans it's a chance to see the sport from the perspective of those who have to call the action in real time, and for referees its a powerful learning tool. For both its a chance to compete, as the game logs the scores of players in real time and places their effort against that of all other participants.

"We want to engage with our Wrestling family worldwide during this crisis in a fun and instructive activity" said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "These are basic questions, but there are some tricks in there, too."

The game is open to the first 1000 participants. New game boards will be created bi-weekly, which you can find on the United World Wrestling website and on our social media channels.

Obituary

Habibi, Iran's first Olympic champion, dies aged 94

Monday, August 25, 2025 - 09:42 By United World Wrestling Press

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TEHRAN, Iran (August 24) -- Emamali HABIBI (IRI), Iran's first-ever Olympic gold medalist and United World Wrestling Hall of Fame member, passed away Sunday aged 94.

Habibi was born Babol in 1931 and won the first Olympic gold medal for Iran in 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. Facing Alimbeg BESTAEV in the final round to decide the gold medalist, Habibi secured a fall in the 67kg final and etched his name in history, became first Olympic champion for Iran.

It was a rare feat in those times as he had never wrestled at an international event before the Olympics. He would make his World Championships debut in 1959, winning gold medal at 73kg. He defended his title in 1961 and added a third gold medal in 1962 at 78kg.

Emamali HABIBI (IRI)Emamali HABIBI (IRI) with his World Championships gold medal.

He participated in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome at 73kg and finished fourth. Habibi also has a gold medal at the 1958 Asian Games, held in Tokyo, Japan.

Habibi's legacy also includes his diverse wrestling techniques and speed on the mat which allowed him to win bouts with domination. He is widely considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of his times. He was included in the UWW Hall of Fame in 2007 for his contribution to wrestling.

UWW offers its condolences to Iran Wrestling Federation and the Habibi family.