#BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

Georgian Men, Brazilian Women Sweep Beach Gold in Rio

Saturday, May 11, 2019 - 21:42 By Tim Foley

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RIO DE JANEIRO (May 11) – Brazilian funk music thumped Saturday afternoon as four of the nation’s beach wrestling women captured gold at the second stop of the Beach Wrestling World Series (BWWS). The Brazilian side, who laughed and danced their way to the unlikely quadruple gold also each collected 1000 CHF for winning their respective weight classes at the event.

Kamila BARBOSA (50kg), Camila FAMA (60kg), Brenda AGUIAR DOS SANTOS (70kg), and Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA) each cruised their way to gold over the course of the two-day event, creating a buzz among the hometown crowd.

“It was so special to win all four gold medals and to do it here in Rio,” said Fama. “I’m so happy with the way that we wrestled and love beach wrestling!”

As with the first BWWS stop in Portugal the mood in Rio was festive with wrestlers from a dozen nations mingling and dancing between their turns in the wrestling circle.

Also similar to the first stop, four Georgians made the finals of the event, only this time all four Georgians managed to take home top billing. The effort was led by ever-smiling Dato MARSAGISHVILI (90kg) who managed a tough-fought final versus two-time world champion Muhammed INAM (PAK), 2-0.

“This is very fun,” said Marsagishvili. “I enjoy beach wrestling and the competition was good.”

The Georgians were on top of their wrestling throughout the two-day event, scoring a number of close victories and big throws. The former mat wrestlers used a combination of snap downs and leg snatches to earn a combined 20 victories in the sand.

The BWWS awards 1000 CHF to gold medalists, 500 CHF to silver medalists, and 250 CHF to bronze medalists. The fans at each event also vote for their favorite “Best Throw” of the event. The Rio winner for “Best Throw” was Semen RADULOV (UKR) who won 1000 CHF for his blast double leg on day one of the competition.

Ukraine will host the third stop with Odessa entertaining athletes at the Beach Wrestling World Series on August 9-10. The fourth and final stop will be the 2019 Beach Wrestling World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 6-7.

Men's Beach Wrestling

70kg
GOLD: Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO)
SILVER: Semen RADULOV (UKR)
BRONZE: Reece HUMPHREY (USA)

80kg
GOLD: Davit KHUTSISHVILI (GEO)
SILVER: Ibrahim YUSUBOV (AZE)
BRONZE: Efe Sami UNAL (TUR)

90kg
GOLD: Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO)
SILVER: Muhammad INAM (PAK)
BRONZE: Kanan ALIYEV (AZE)

+90kg
GOLD: Mamuka KORDZAIA (GEO)
SILVER: Oyan NAZARIANI (AZE)
BRONZE: Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE)

Women's Beach Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Kamila BARBOSA VITO DA SILVA (BRA)
SILVER: Susana Paula DE ALMEIDA DOS SANTOS (BRA)
BRONZE: Claudia Soledad CABRERA (ARG)

60kg
GOLD: Camila FAMA TRISTAO (BRA)
SILVER: Mehlika OZTURK (TUR)
BRONZE: Ana Luiza PEREIRA FRANCA (BRA)

70kg
GOLD: Brenda AGUIAR DOS SANTOS (BRA)
SILVER: Nikeli FERREIRA DE OLIVEIRA (BRA)
BRONZE: Sonia Marina PEREIRA BRAZIO (POR)

+70kg
GOLD: Aline DA SILVA FERREIRA (BRA)
SILVER: Aysegul OZBEGE (TUR)
BRONZE: Dailane GOMES DOS REIS (BRA)

#development

Road to Dakar 2026 Continues with Successful Central Africa Programme in Brazzaville

Monday, June 22, 2026 - 08:50 By United World Wrestling Press

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BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (June 21) -- The second stop of the United World Wrestling (UWW) Africa Regional Educational Development Programme, Road to Dakar 2026, concluded successfully in Brazzaville after a week combining athlete preparation, education, technical development and competition in Olympic and Beach Wrestling.

Held from June 8 to 14 in the Republic of Congo, the Central Africa phase brought together National Olympic Committees and National Federations from across the region under a unified objective: strengthening wrestling ecosystems and creating more accessible pathways toward the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.

As the second of four regional tournaments scheduled within the continental Road to Dakar programme, the event represented another important milestone on the road to the first Olympic event to be hosted on African soil.

Africa REDT

The UWW Africa Regional Educational Development Programme was designed as a comprehensive and sustainable model that extends beyond competition. The initiative combines athlete development camps, coach and referee education, and practical competition opportunities.

By decentralising activities across regions and consolidating training and competition into one structure, the programme aims to reduce financial barriers for national federations and increase opportunities for athletes and technical officials.

Throughout the week, athletes participated in intensive daily training sessions, as coaches attended the UWW Technical Course - Level 2, focused on improving technical knowledge, athlete development methodologies and long-term performance planning.

Africa REDT

Simultaneously, referees took part in dedicated education sessions covering Beach Wrestling and introductory officiating pathways, preparing them for selection to undertake the International Category III referee examination in the future.

The programme concluded with the Regional Tournament, followed by the Beach Wrestling Regional Tournament, giving participants the opportunity to apply lessons learned during the educational phase directly into competition conditions.

The programme specifically prioritised youth development, with participating athletes largely drawn from the U17 age group and encouraging the involvement of emerging coaches across Central Africa. Support mechanisms jointly delivered by UWW and Olympic Solidarity helped facilitate participation through travel, accommodation, training access and tournament organisation.

Africa REDT

More than just a standalone event, Brazzaville demonstrated the long-term vision behind Road to Dakar 2026 by building stronger national structures, expanding participation and creating sustainable development opportunities well before the final qualification stages for the Youth Olympic Games.