#Webinar

Webinar Schedule for October 12-18

By United World Wrestling Press

Refereeing webinars

Topic: Preparation of referee for a competition - Russian
Date: Thursday, 15 October
Time: 14:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 08:00 - New York (Check your local time)
Speaker: Noravard Arustamyan and Alexey Bazulin
Language: Russian
Level: National and International Referees
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/94885716695

Topic: Preparation of referee for a competition - French
Date: Thursday, 15 October
Time: 16:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 10:00 - New York (Check your local time)
Speaker: Kamel Bouaziz
Language: French
Level: National and International Referees
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/96977664271

Topic: Preparation of referee for a competition - Spanish
Date: Thursday, 15 October
Time: 18:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 12:00 - New York (Check your local time)
Speaker: Carlos Garcia and Eduardo Goncalves
Language: Spanish
Level: National and International Referees
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/99144308470

Coaching webinars

Topic: Training Plans: Theoretical Framework - French
Date: Tuesday, 13 October
Time: 16:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 10:00 - New York (Check your local time)
Speaker: Vincent Aka
Language: French
Level: National & Local Coaches
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/98391569910

Topic: Identifying Key Factors and Introducing New Skills- Arabic
Date: Saturday, 17 October
Time: 19:00 (Zurich) – 13:00 (New York) (Check your local time)
Speaker: Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelfattah
Language: Arabic
Target Audience: Local and National Coaches
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/91803384594 

Webinaires liés à l’arbitrage 

Thème: Préparation de l’arbitre à une compétition - Russe
Date: Jeudi 15 octobre
Heure: 14:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 08:00 - New York (Vérifier votre heure locale)
Conférencier: Noravard Arustamyan et Alexey Bazulin
Langue: Russe
Niveau: Arbitres nationaux et internationaux
Lien: https://zoom.us/j/94885716695

Thème: Préparation de l’arbitre à une compétition - Français
Date: Jeudi 15 octobre
Heure: 16:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 10:00 - New York (Vérifier votre heure locale)
Conférencier: Kamel Bouaziz
Langue: Français
Niveau: Arbitres nationaux et internationaux
Lien: https://zoom.us/j/96977664271

Thème: Préparation de l’arbitre à une compétition - Espagnole
Date: Jeudi 15 octobre
Heure: 18:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 12:00 - New York (Vérifier votre heure locale)
Conférencier: Carlos Garcia et Eduardo Goncalves
Langue: Espagnole
Niveau: Arbitres nationaux et internationaux
Lien: https://zoom.us/j/99144308470

Webinaires de coaching

Thème: Planification de l’entraînement: Cadre théorique - Français
Date: Mardi 13 octobre
Heure: 16h00 - Zurich (UTC + 2) - 10h00 - New York (Vérifiez votre heure locale)
Conférencier: Vincent Aka
Langue: Français
Niveau: Entraîneurs nationaux et locaux
Lien: https://zoom.us/j/98391569910

Thème: Identifiés les facteurs clés et introduire de nouvelles compétences - Arabe
Date: Samedi 17 octobre
Heure: 19:00 - Zurich (UTC+2) – 13:00 - New York (Vérifier votre heure locale)
Conférencier: Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelfattah
Langue: Arabe
Niveau: Coaches nationaux et locaux
Lien: https://zoom.us/j/91803384594

2026 U20 Asian Championships

China's Yang Turns Weight-Loss Plan into Historic U20 Asian Gold

By Vinay Siwach

PATTAYA, Thailand (July 6) -- Even Yuanchong YANG (CHN) could not help but appreciate the irony.

Yang was introduced to wrestling because he was overweight. His parents simply wanted their youngest son to lose a few kilos. Instead, he created history for China, becoming the country's heaviest-ever Asian Freestyle champion.

China won only one Freestyle medal at the 2026 U20 Asian Wrestling Championships in Pattaya, Thailand but Yang made sure it was a historic one.

The 97kg wrestler claimed the gold medal to become China's first-ever U20 Asian champion in Freestyle and only the sixth Chinese to win an Asian Freestyle title at any level. He also surpassed Ying WANG (CHN), who won the 84kg title at the 2008 Senior Asian Championships, as the heaviest Chinese Freestyle wrestler to capture an Asian gold medal.

"I was extremely fat in elementary school, so my parents sent me to a sports school [later] to exercise and become thinner and healthier," Yang told United World Wrestling. "My parents thought wrestling would help me lose weight faster."

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) celebrates after winning the gold medal in 97kg at the U20 Asian Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

When he first stepped onto the mat as a 12-year-old, Yang never imagined he would one day represent China. Wrestling was simply a way to shed the extra kilos.

"Following my training, I was deeply touched by the passion of my team, the teamwork and the charm of wrestling," he said.

Yang's first major breakthrough came in 2023 when he captured the U17 National Championships title. Later that year, he represented China at the East Asian Youth Games but returned home without a medal.

"I saw my older teammates winning medals consistently, so I set myself the goal of winning my own gold medal," he said. "After five years of training, I finally won the U17 title in 2023."

Yang competed at both the 2025 U20 and U23 World Championships but came up short in both after losing close bouts. When he returned home to Jinan, Shandong Province, he shifted his focus to the 2026 season.

Last week in Pattaya, Yang produced a dominant 11-0 technical superiority win over LACKY (IND) in the semifinals before defeating Samir DURSUNOV (KAZ), 8-2, in the final to complete his historic run.

Yang relied on strong underhooks to force pushouts and controlled the par terre exchanges with an effective gut wrench, leaving little room for his opponents to recover.

Yuanchong YANG (CHN)Yuanchong YANG (CHN) at the podium with the 97kg gold medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

As he stood atop the podium, Yang was emotional but he soon realised that this is just the beginning.

"When I received the gold medal, I was really happy," he said. "But while I was walking down from the podium, I realised there are higher goals waiting for me. I can't be satisfied with this. My next target is to win a medal at the Senior Asian Championships."