#BeachWrestling

Beach Wrestling named a core discipline for 2023 & 2025 ANOC World Beach Games

Friday, August 20, 2021 - 12:01 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (August 20) -- The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) has named wrestling, with the specific discipline of Beach Wrestling, as one of nine sports to its core program for both the 2023 and 2025 ANOC World Beach Games.

We are proud to announce that during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the president of United World Wrestling (UWW), Nenad Lalovic, has signed an agreement with ANOC’s Secretary General, Gunilla Lindberg, for Beach Wrestling to be part of the mandatory events of the ANOC World Beach Games sports program for the 2023 and 2025 editions of the event.

“We are delighted to sign a MoU with ANOC and solidify Beach Wrestling for the World Beach Games in 2023 and 2025. ANOC organized world-class Games in Qatar and I am very pleased we will continue to grow beach wrestling and the Beach Games together,” states UWW’s president Lalovic.

Part of the 10 core sports, Beach Wrestling is planned to continue with the same format as in 2019 with 8 categories, 4 men and 4 women. 80 athletes in total, with 64 under qualification process established by the UWW plus 16 invitations.

Beach Wrestling was part of the first ANOC World Beach World Games, held in Qatar in 2019. The inclusion as a core sport for the upcoming two editions represent a major development for the UWW’s fastest growing discipline, as ANOC is an important organization with ties to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the various international federations of Olympic sports (IF), in addition to serving the National Olympic Committees.

All further details will be announced in due time!

Find out all about the Beach Wrestling World Series and watch the competitions live at www.beachwrestling.org

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#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.