Development

United World Wrestling Supports the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Monday, May 28, 2018 - 12:57 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (May 28) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) is pleased to announce its collaboration with the United Nations Human Rights Office to support its campaign for the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Born out of two World Wars, the Declaration is just as relevant today as it was on its first day. To highlight what the Declaration means for people in their everyday lives, the UN Human Rights Office launched a yearlong campaign that will culminate on December 10, 2018 - the actual anniversary date of the adoption of the Declaration.

As a partner in the Olympic Movement, United World Wrestling is committed to improving its anti-discrimination efforts, advancing gender equality and promoting fair play within the sport of wrestling.

UWW’s collaboration with the UN Human Rights Office includes a video interview featuring South African wrestler Ms. Madi MPHO as a Human Rights Champion and a joint call from athletes worldwide to support the #standup4humanrights campaign. A “Wrestling for All” open day event will also be organized in South Africa at the end of the year to mark Human Rights Day.

“We have made substantial progress towards gender equality and fair play in wrestling,” said Nenad LALOVIC, President of United World Wrestling and executive board member of the International Olympic Committee. “Our goal of this collaboration is to demonstrate our determination to continue our effort to enhance the contribution of sport to the sustainable development of society.”

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Interview: 'Changing Weight Classes Difficult, But Ready for 97kg Challenge'

Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 06:27 By

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- By Amirreza ALIASGARI

KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his eighth World Championships for Iran on Friday after beating Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 4-2 and 5-3, in two straight matches at 97kg.

In 2015, Yazdani was at 70kg and won a silver medal at his debut World Championships. For a decade, he spent his wrestling career at 86kg, winning two Olympic silver medals, three world titles, two world silver and one bronze medal.

Now at 97kg after two shoulder surgeries, a 31-year-old Yazdani is adjusting to the new weight class. As he returns to the World Championships after three years, Yazdani will be chasing his eighth medal and fourth title.

After making the Iran team for the World Championships, to be held in Astana from October 24 to November 1, Yazdani spoke to United World Wrestling about the challenges of 97kg, returning to the World Championships and how his body is holding up.

Excerpts:

- How are you feeling physically after the two tough matches?

Yazdani: I’ve improved in some areas, especially when it comes to my breathing and conditioning. But we didn’t really have enough time to focus on strength training, so we worked on that a bit less than we wanted to. With the time that’s left until the World Championships, I’m going to do everything I can to get myself in the best shape possible and be even better prepared.

- How prepared were you for the wrestle-off against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)?

Yazdani: For these competitions, I’d say I was about 70 percent ready. It’s hard to be 100 precent prepared for a tournament like this, but by the time the World Championships come around, I’ll definitely be in better shape and more prepared.

- What are your thoughts on competing at 97kg, a weight class that may have four Olympic champions in Astana?

Yazdani: The 97kg weight class is new for me, and of course I have new opponents now. It’s quite different from 86kg. I hope I can put on a good performance in this weight class as well. There are a lot of great champions here, and I hope I get the chance to wrestle against them, challenge myself, and show my best wrestling at the World Championships.

- But will it be challenging for your to be at the top at this weight class?

Yazdani: I already knew how many top wrestlers compete in this weight class. Considering my physical condition, I decided last year to move up to 97kg. Since it’s also an Olympic weight class, I wanted to make the move early so I’d have enough time to fix any weaknesses and adapt before the Olympics. My goal is to be at my very best for both the Olympics and the World Championships, which are just as important.

I wanted to move up sooner so I could get comfortable in this weight class as quickly as possible. Once you get to around 30 years old, things naturally become a little more difficult, and changing weight classes isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are definitely challenges at 97kg, and I’ve thought about all of them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put on my best performance and come away with a great result.