#WrestleParis

Paris 2024: Vinesh disqualified; Guzman vs Hildebrandt in 50kg final

By United World Wrestling Press

PARIS (August 7) — Vinesh VINESH, from NOC of India in 50kg, failed the weigh-in on day two of her competition which has forced United World Wrestling to promote Yusneylis GUZMAN LOPEZ (CUB) to the final of 50kg at the Paris Olympics. She will take on Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) in the final.

According to Article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules:

a) If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), she/he will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank.

b) “If one (or more) athletes qualified for the repechages and/or finals don’t attend or fail the weigh-in, the athlete(s) (who successfully passed the second weigh-in) will move to the next round in his(their) part of the bracket.

Therefore, according to our rules above and ORIS, that states “2.6.2.4 Failing the second-day Weigh-in, no later than ten (10) minutes after the weigh-in is completed the IF Delegate will provide the OC Technology representative with the copy of the official output "Weigh-in List for Second Day" (C50B), on which reasons for failure to qualify will be identified. 

If one of the finalists does not attend, or fails the Weigh-in, he will be replaced by the wrestler who lost against him in the semifinals. This wrestler will compete for the gold medal. The repechage will have one less round, in their part of the bracket.”, then we shall act accordingly.

Under these rules, Guzman will wrestle for gold while the 50kg will have one less round of repechage and Vinesh's results will be disqualified.

The 50kg bronze medal bout will be between Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Oksana LIVACH (UKR).

#development

UWW Organizes International Training Camp Before African Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 11) -- United World Wrestling hosted a international training camp before the 2026 African Championships in Alexandria from April 20 to 26.

The camp, organized with a focus on performance, technical exchange, and sporting cooperation, brought together coaches and wrestlers from across the continent with participants from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, Guinea, Namibia, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, and Zambia.

One of the major highlights of this edition was the historic participation of Zambia, which took part for the first time in a continental wrestling activity. The participation symbolizes the steady expansion of African wrestling into new nations and confirms the growing development of the sport across the continent. The Zambian delegation included wrestler Martin JERE (ZAM) and Stephen FULANGANI (ZAM), accompanied by their coach Eugine CHIPOKOLO.

Alexandria

Throughout the week, wrestlers took part in specialized sessions combining standing and ground techniques, upper and lower-level attacks, targeted defense drills, technical combinations, aerobic preparation, acrobatic exercises, and individual training. Coaches would also use this gathering as an opportunity to exchange training methods and share their expertise within a high-level international environment.

The camp will bring together several experienced athletes and international competitors in Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, and Greco-Roman. Among the participating nations were also several Sub-Saharan African countries that continue to strengthen their presence on the continental stage through increasingly strong participation.

Beyond the sporting aspect, the program also included awareness sessions focused on environmental protection in sport through the “Wrestle Green” initiative, as well as workshops dedicated to anti-doping education and athlete protection.

Alexandria

Participants also received dedicated camp equipment, including sportswear, “Wrestle Green” materials, and training accessories intended for daily practice sessions.