#BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

Beach Wrestlers Inam, Marsigashvilli on Golden Collision Course

Friday, May 10, 2019 - 21:23 By Tim Foley

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RIO DE JANEIRO (May 10) – With 6000 miles of travel logged in the past 48 hours, Muhammed INAM (PAK) should have limped onto the Rio sand and groggy and bleary eyed. But on Friday afternoon, the two-time defending Beach Wrestling World Champion showed no signs of fatigue, winning his opening two matches.

Inam, who cruised 3-0 in the opening round, ran up against experienced wrestler Kanan ALIYEV (AZE) in the second round. The match started slow, but Inam exploded with a flurry of action at the edge of the circle to earn a one-point step out on a three-point takedown attempt that was deemed out of bounds. Inam would control the center for the remainder of the

“I’m feeling very good in my matches,” said Inam. “Tonight, I will watch videos and prepare strategies for tomorrow’s opponents, especially the Georgian. I will prepare techniques to try and beat him … because he is amazing.”

On the other side of the 90kg bracket “The Georgian” Dato MARSIGASHVILLI – who won the BWWS stop in Chaves -- had a tough first-round battle ceding two points to Grigorios KRIARIDIS (GRE) before scoring back-back-back takedowns to win 3-2. In the second round, Marsigashvilli quickly disposed of Brazil’s Andre Luiz RAMOS PINTO (BRA).

With one pool match to complete in the morning Inam and Marsigashvilli are headed for a gold medal showdown in the evening finals.

In women’s beach wrestling, Aline De SILVA FERREIRA proved to be golden winning her first beach wrestling series event. She Brazilian, who won a world silver medal on the mats in 2014 was all smiles after learning she was taking home 1000 CHF for her efforts.

“For me beach wrestling is good because I like to shoot high crotches,” said Silva. “The girls here are a little slower than me and I can use my strength.”

Silva also gushed about the new wrestling style and her hopes for its future in Brazil. “I like the way beach wrestling is organized – and it’s beautiful. I brought friends and they like its short time and rules are simple. It’s a great part for people in Brazil to learn wrestling. We have a lot of beaches.”

Wrestling continues tomorrow morning at 10am local time, following by the finals of the Beach Wrestling World Series are set to start at 2pm local.  

Full results from day one can be found, here: https://unitedworldwrestling.org/event/rio-de-janeiro-beach-wrestling-world-series?tab=results

#development

UWW conducts REDT program in Benin

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:06 By United World Wrestling Press

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OUIDAH, Benin (December 20) -- United World Wrestling (UWW), in collaboration with the Benin Wrestling Federation, the Benin National Olympic Committee and the national sports authorities, successfully organized the Regional Education and Development Wrestling Tournament (REDT), which took place in Ouidah from November 23 to 30, 2025.

This event represents the first tournament ever organized in West Africa, marking a major milestone in UWW’s wrestling development strategy on the African continent.

Ten countries from the West African region took part in the tournament, contributing to a framework of technical and educational exchanges aimed at enhancing the competencies of wrestling stakeholders.

Deqa NIAMKEY, Director of Development at United World Wrestling, paid an official visit to Benin. She praised the progress achieved by the Benin Wrestling Federation and recalled the core objective of the REDT program.

"The REDT was initiated by United World Wrestling to support countries in the sustainable development of wrestling.”

Niamkey also conducted a sports administration education session with representatives of national federations, while Youssef BOUAZIZ delivered an online training session on ARENA.

Benin

Ahead of the competitions, a regional coaches’ education program was conducted from November 24 to 27, 2025, bringing together coaches, referees, athletes and technical staff from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Senegal.

This program was delivered by Vincent AKA, UWW Expert and Development Officer, and concluded with theoretical and practical evaluations leading to the award of UWW International Coaching Certifications Levels 1 and 2.

Celestin PAVELESCU, UWW Expert, led the refereeing education program in Olympic Wrestling and Beach Wrestling, contributing to the improvement of technical standards and the harmonization of officiating practices across the region.

The competitions were held on November 29, 2025 at the IRSP Gymnasium, while the Beach Wrestling events took place on November 30, 2025 at the Door of No Return Beach, an emblematic site of Ouidah’s historical and cultural heritage.

The host nation particularly distinguished itself during this edition, winning a total of 35 medals (11 gold, 15 silver and 9 bronze).

The development strategy focused on youth and the introduction of wrestling in the school environment, with a strong representation of U17 wrestlers, illustrates the long-term vision pursued by the Benin Wrestling Federation.

At the conclusion of the competition, the President of the Benin Wrestling Federation, Adihunkpéto YVES AZIFAN, congratulated all wrestlers and coaches, while reaffirming the federation’s commitment to position Benin sustainably among the leading nations of African and international wrestling.