#Grappling

UWW Announces Grappling U23, Senior World Championships Hosts

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 - 12:20 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 1) -- United World Wrestling announced the host cities for its top two Grappling events in 2022.

Grappling is one of UWW's fastest-growing styles, with events and participation numbers growing each year.

The Grappling World Championships will be held September 5-8 in Belgrade, Serbia. As is the norm, it will be before the Olympic-style World Championships which are also scheduled in Belgrade.

In 2021, the event was held in Belgrade prior to the U23 World Championships. This year, it only gets better with the Championships to be held at the Stark Arena. This will be one of the biggest organizations of the Championships to date for grapplers to exhibit their talents of submission.

A month later, the U23 Grappling World Championships will be organized in Pontevedra, Spain. The beach city will be the host as Grappling and its stars close out the year on a high in Spain, a country that continues to emerge as a big nation for sports talents. 

“We have grand plans for Grappling and it will be UWW's priority moving forward,” Nenad LALOVIC, President of UWW, said. “This sport has enormous potential and we look forward to working with grappling experts and combining our knowledge from the Olympic styles.”

The first Grappling competition for the year will be the Senior European Championships that begin in Budapest, Hungary from March 26-27.

Grappling, formerly organized by UWW’s Associated Styles office in Istanbul, Turkey, has been brought back to UWW Headquarters in Switzerland with hopes of progressing the sport to the next level.

For the full list of events on the Grappling calendar and all other styles can be accessed at uww.org/events.

#development

ASDEC Chair Niamkey Leads Workshop on Sports Development

Monday, May 11, 2026 - 07:14 By United World Wrestling Press

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (May 9) -- Collaboration, innovation and open exchange was at the heart of a two-day workshop, organised by the ASOIF Sport Development and Education Commission (ASDEC) on May 5 and 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The meeting brought together more than 60 participants from 30 International Federations (IFs) for two days of peer exchange and practical discussion on key issues shaping the future of sport development.

Held in a collaborative and informal setting, the workshop focused on topics including coach development, officiating, National Federation support, and the evolving delivery of sport development programme.

During the workshop, Olympic Solidarity hosted roundtable discussions giving participants an opportunity to exchange feedback, ideas and perspectives on existing programmes and future collaboration opportunities.

Participant feedback strongly highlighted the value of the workshop as a trusted environment for open discussion, practical learning and networking across International Federations. Many participants - particularly first-time attendees, but also experienced delegates who had attended numerous workshops - emphasised the importance of having a collaborative and non-political space in which to share challenges, ideas and experiences openly.

ASDEC Chair Deqa NIAMKEY, Development Director at United World Wrestling, highlighted after the workshop:

"The ASDEC Workshop 2026 was a great success, offering International Federations a wide range of relevant topics, including updates on the current trends and landscape of sports business industry, participation programmes, and strategies for entering new markets," Niamkey said.

"The workshop also fostered meaningful discussions with key partners focused on the development and growth of our sports. It continues to serve as an important platform for networking, exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and transferring knowledge, all in line with ASOIF’s broader good governance strategy."

The workshop concept is fully aligned with the third strategic pillar of the ASOIF Strategy 2026–2032, which focuses, among other priorities, on developing and modernising platforms for shared learning and adding value by addressing member priorities and sector developments.

Read More: From AI to Officiating, ASOIF Workshop Explores Future of Sport Development