Cadet Asian Championships

North Korean Cadets Shine in Continental C'Ships

By United World Wrestling Press

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (July 9) -- Wrestlers from D.P.R. Korea had a strong performance in women's wrestling at the Cadet Asian Championships, capturing two gold medals and three medals overall. The four-day event concluded Sunday in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Winning gold medals for North Korea at the Cadet Asian Championships were Jin Hyang JANG (43kg) and Ji Hyang KIM (49kg), while Jin A KIM (40kg) earned a bronze medal. 
 


The North Korean side was boosted by recent assistance they received from United World Wrestling's developmental program "Technical Assistance for Competitions." The program allowed for three young athletes to compete in the championships and also stay for an additional week to attend the "More than Medal" Asia. 

"We are very happy to see such positive results," said Deqa Niamkey, UWW Director for Development. "Wrestling deserves to be represented by every nation and to see the joy on these athletes faces means we are on track."


Prior to this year, North Korea had not won a medal at the Cadet Asian Championships in women's wrestling since 2016 when MyongGyong WON captured a gold medal at 40kg and UnHui HWANG claimed a silver at 43kg. 

For more information on United World Wrestling's development programs, calendars, and past work please visit: www.unitedworldwrestling.org/development.

UWW and Iran sign MoU to bring Chouke under Associated Styles

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 20) — United World Wrestling and the Iran Wrestling Federation took a significant step to promote Choukhe, signing a four-year Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU will enable both organizations to work together to promote and protect Chouke, a traditional form of wrestling, under the UWW Associated Styles.

Both UWW and the Iranian federation will also work to develop Chouke under their umbrella. This agreement's objective is to facilitate the protection, development, and promotion of Chouke. As per the agreement, both parties will hold regular meetings to exchange ideas and share knowledge.

Chouke is a traditional form of wrestling in Iran with wrestlers performing on mud in a marked circular ring. Each bout is of five minutes with more than one bout conducted at the same time. In case of a tie with a one-minute break, three minutes of extra time are added. Within three minutes, the wrestler who earns the first point will be the winner.

This style of wrestling does not allow the wrestler to touch his opponent's legs. The bout can only be fought with grips above the waist. There are different ways to score points in Chouke.

One point is awarded for a takedown, two points are awarded if a throw is completed outside the ring, and one if completed inside. Most other moves award only one point. A fall occurs when even one shoulder touches the ground.

Both wrestlers have to wear the official clothes to compete in Chouke. A t-shirt, a special jacket and a short are considered to be official outfit. The shirt must be long enough to go below the waist and the sleeves be long till the elbow. A strong cloth belt must be tied around the waist of the wrestlers and is fixed at the back and the wrestlers compete barefoot.

The old form of wrestling has a special place in Iranian history, and the agreement will help with its growth and development in Iran. UWW's commitment to work closely with the Iran federation for Chouke is in line with its vision to grow and promote all the traditional forms of the oldest form of the sport.