Obituary

Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, First Kazakh to Win Olympic Gold, Dies at 69

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 3) -- Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, who won Olympic gold for the U.S.S.R  in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Moscow Games in 1980, has died. He was 69.

Ushkempirov was the first ethnic Kazakh to win an Olympic gold in wrestling and became a national star following his performance. To honor his achievements, there is an international Junior Greco-Roman wrestling tournament named "Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov" held annually in the nation of Kazakhstan. He was also inducted into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2014.

In addition to his Olympic gold, Ushkempirov was a 1981 World champion, 1980 European silver medallist, USSR Champion (1975,1980), and Honored Master of Sports of USSR (1980). 

Ushkempirov also received the Labor of Kazakhstan award as well as the honors of "Barys", "Badge of Honor", "Parasat".

Ushkempirov

United World Wrestling launches UWW+ Yearly Pass

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 1) --- United World Wrestling announces the launch of its UWW+ yearly pass. After the successful launch of UWW+, UWW has decided to offer wrestling content to all of its fans all year around.

Wrestling fans will be able to choose their pass based on their content preferences. Three different passes will be offered throughout the year:

  • Yearly pass: The yearly pass is a 365-day rolling subscription. Those fans with a yearly pass will be able to access all the live stream tournaments, exclusive content, behind the scenes content and video on demand content.

  • Tournament pass: Fans will be able to choose specific events they're most interested in. Cost might vary based on the popularity and significance of the event. The tournament pass will give fans access to the live stream of that specific tournament and also special features, interviews, and previews exclusive to each event.

  • Daily pass: The daily pass is a 24-hour pass ideal for fans who can't commit to watching an entire tournament but don't want to miss out on specific days or wrestlers. Those fans who purchase a daily pass will have access to all matches, highlights, and content for 24 hours from the time of purchase.

The yearly pass will be available to purchase starting February 1st, 2024 and an early bird discount of 15% off will be offered during the month of February with the promo code UWW15. Wrestling fans will save at least 30% by purchasing the yearly pass.