#WrestleBelgrade

Belgrade to host 2023 World Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (November 14) -- The World Championships will return to Belgrade, Serbia for the second straight year as it was elected as the host for the 2023 edition on Monday.

United World Wrestling Bureau met Monday to pick the host for the World Championships and locked in Belgrade. Azerbaijan and Turkey also expressed their interest in hosting the mega event but fell short. UWW will continue to work with the national federations of these nations for future events.

UWW President Nenad LALOVIC (SRB) and Bureau members Rodica YAKSI (TUR) and Namig ALIYEV (AZE) did not participate in the voting due to a conflict of interest.

Belgrade, which hosted the 2022 World Championships with grand success, will host the tournament at the beginning of September 2023.

The dates for the tournament are subject to change from the original September 16 to 24 as it clashes with the Asian Games which are scheduled to begin on September 23 in Hangzhou, China.

The World Championships were scheduled to be held in Russia but since International Olympic Committee recommended sanctions on the nation, it became ineligible to host.

Wrestlers will get a chance to win 90 quotas for the 2024 Paris Olympics from the Belgrade Worlds. Any nation which participated in the 2023 continental championships will be eligible to participate in the World Championships.

2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games

Oborududu Named Athlete Role Model for 2026 Dakar YOG

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 15) -- Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) was announced as one of the 36 Athlete Role Models for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

Oborududu, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been a stalwart in Nigerian sports and represented the country for close to two decades. In Tokyo, she made history by winning silver medal at 68kg in Women's Wrestling, becoming Nigeria’s first‑ever Olympic medallist in the sport.

The four-time Olympian was also a 14-tim African champion, a record that still stands. She compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and finished fifth.

The Athlete Role Models will provide mentoring and workshop training to young athletes on site during Dakar 2026. They will be on the ground in Senegal to engage with competing athletes, providing support and advice around competition and taking part in educational workshops. These workshops cover topics such as career management, injury prevention and mental preparation, among many other things.

The group will also attend training sessions, engage with the local community, support the athletes from the sidelines and be there to congratulate them at victory ceremonies.

The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from October 31 to November 13, 2026, bringing together around 2,700 young athletes aged up to 17 across three host zones: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.