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With Eye on Safety, Lithuania Returns to Practice Mats

Thursday, May 21, 2020 - 14:34 By United World Wrestling Press

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VILNIUS, Lithuania (May 22) -- With few cases of COVID-19 nationwide, Lithuania's top wrestlers are returning to the mat, albeit with safety precautions in place. 

Lithuania has only seen 1600 total cases of COVID-19 and 60 deaths. Despite the lower numbers the wrestling federation and the athletes are taking every precaution they can to ensure the health and safety of the wrestlers on the mat. The new guidelines for practice includes increased cleaning protocols, temperature checks, hand sanitization and face masks (for anyone not actively wrestling).

Athletes’ Commission member Mindaugas EZERSKIS mentioned the practices during Monday's Athlete Webinar with the commission and UWW President Nenad Lalovic. Ezerskis said the team is training during the week and taking weekends off with a focus on preparing for the Olympics and Olympic Qualification events. 

You can watch the full video, here.

UWW Partners With Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan

Thursday, April 2, 2026 - 17:40 By United World Wrestling Press

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 2) -- The Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 6-12 will bear the logo with a snow leopard. Being the national symbol of Kyrgyzstan, the animal holds significant reference in the culture of the country.

Like in wrestling, success isn't just about strength, it’s about the combination of power, precision, and an unbreakable mind. Snow leopard in the high-altitude "arenas" of 12 countries in Central and South Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, lives by these same rules.

United World Wrestling is partnering with the Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan to promote the preservation of the animal of which around 300 adult individuals remain around the country.

With the Asian Championships in Bishkek, the tournament was the ideal opportunity to raise the awareness around the national symbol of Kyrgyzstan.

Snow Leopard Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2012. It conducts research across snow leopard habitats, implements community-based conservation programs, builds awareness and education, and assists government agencies in the Kyrgyz Republic in addressing policy issues pertaining to snow leopard conservation.

SLFK is the country partner of the International Snow Leopard Trust which was established in 1981 and is based in Seattle, US with the goal to protect the endangered snow leopard and its mountain ecosystem through a combination of advanced scientific research and community-based conservation programs.