Women's Forum

UWW Hosts Women in Wrestling Forum

Wednesday, December 6, 2017 - 17:12 By Tim Foley

Share this article

MEXICO CITY (December 4) – United World Wrestling hosted the Women in Wrestling Global Forum last week at the Mexico Olympic Training Centre in Mexico City. The event was funded by United World Wrestling and Olympic Solidarity, organized by the Mexican Wrestling Federation, and supported by Mexican Olympic Committee.

Aligned with the Olympic Agenda 2020, the forum focused on the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women in the sport of wrestling with 26 female participants from 19 countries attending this event. Among the attendees were 2016 Olympic Champion Helen MAROULIS (USA), Olympian LEE Jiwoo (KOR) and two-time Olympic medallist Jackeline RENTERIA (COL).

The main objectives of this event were to:

  • provide NF women, especially at mid- and senior-level positions, with empowerment, leadership and personal efficiency skills;
  • encourage women to take a more proactive role in the sport of wrestling
  • strengthen the women in our sport network and stimulate implementation of national and regional projects for women in wrestling; and
  • advance wrestling technical knowledge

Participants also joined workshops including wrestling coaching clinics, introduction to refereeing and WADA anti-doping protocols.

“This is my first time participating in such an international wrestling event focusing on women in wrestling,” said 2012 world bronze medallist Yan HONG (CHN). “I enjoyed the refereeing introduction and on-the-mat skills practice; We also received great advice on training and preparation for the Olympic Games.

Natalia YARIGUINA, Vice-President of United World Wrestling and Chair of the Women and Sport commission; Rodica YAKSI, UWW Bureau Member and Francisco LOPEZ, President of the UWW Pan-American Council, along with Mario DE LA TORRE, Secretary General of Mexican Olympic Committee and other guests attended this forum.

"For our country to host an activity like this, it fills us with pride and commits us to continue working on the development of the Women's Wrestling," said Guillermo Diaz Gutierrez, president of the Mexican Wrestling Federation.

“We are grateful that the United World Wrestling chose us for this forum. Hopefully, it is the first of many more since its benefit is, at first sight, giving the women of our sports more tools to work in the gender equality.”

#development

South Africa Advances National Wrestling System with DNSS Phase 2

Thursday, April 9, 2026 - 07:25 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

PRETORIA, South Africa (April 8) -- South Africa has reached a decisive milestone in its long-term wrestling development strategy with the successful implementation of Phase 2 of the Development of National Sport System (DNSS) programme, delivered in collaboration with United World Wrestling (UWW) and supported by Olympic Solidarity.

Following the diagnostic and mapping phase conducted earlier, Phase 2 marks a clear transition from analysis to structured implementation, laying the foundation for a sustainable and internationally aligned wrestling system.

Led by UWW Development Officer Vincent AKA, in close cooperation with the South African Wrestling Federation (SAWF), the National Head Coach, Markus DEKKER and Provincial Coordinators, the programme was deployed across multiple provinces through a structured 10-day intervention from March 2 to 13. 

Activities were conducted in key locations including:

· LPWA (Ion Bachu)
· CGWA (Ruiter)
· NGWA (Menlo Park Hall)
· Frank Joubert Tournament (Menlo Park Hall)

This nationwide approach ensured direct engagement with provincial structures, strengthening alignment between national leadership and local associations while promoting inclusive development across the country.

From Talent Identification to System Building

Unlike traditional training camps, DNSS Phase 2 focused on identifying talent and building long-term development systems. Wrestlers and coaches from all age categories -- U13, U15, U17, U20, and Senior -- were actively involved, ensuring a complete pathway approach.

Provincial visits and stakeholder meetings played a key role in assessing facilities and operational structures, strengthening coordination between SAWF and provinces, and identifying emerging wrestlers.

Building Athlete Pipeline

A training camp for different provinces brought together wrestler to consolidate talent identified during Phase 1 and introduce standardized training methodologies.

The training camp included technical sessions, physical conditioning, match simulations and wrestling. The initiative contributed to the creation of an updated national prospect and the foundation of a structured athlete monitoring system.

South Africa

Beach Wrestling Gains Momentum

As part of the DNSS activities, a Beach Wrestling training session in Roodepoort highlighted the programme’s expanding impact.

During the visit, Aka led a specialized session, sharing advanced technical insights adapted to beach wrestling. It included stance and balance adjustments, grip and control techniques, and movement adaptation on sand.

The training programme comes at a crucial time, as South African athletes prepare for African Beach Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, Egypt and other international tournaments.