#WrestleBaku

European Paris 2024 Freestyle Qualification Bouts Set

By United World Wrestling Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (April 7) -- The final day of the European OG Qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan with 12 Freestyle quotas to be won for the Paris Olympics. Wrestlers who finish top two in the six weight classes will qualify their countries for the the Games.

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Paris Olympic Qualification Bout Set

 

57kg
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD) vs. Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) vs. Aryan TSIUTRYN (AIN)

65kg
Maxim SACULTAN (MDA) vs. Goderdzi DZEBISASHVILI (GEO)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE) vs. Islam DUDAEV (ALB)

74kg
Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) vs. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)
Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) vs. Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)

86kg
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) vs. Artur NAIFONOV (AIN)
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)

97kg
Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (AIN) vs. Illia ARCHAIA (UKR)
Radoslaw BARAN (POL) vs. Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (AIN)

125kg
Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) vs. Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (AIN)
Alen KHUBULOV (BUL) vs. Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (AZE)

14:15: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) puts himself in the 86kg semifinal with a 6-2 win over Magomed RAMAZANOV (BUL). Nurmagomedov led 4-0 when Ramazanov scored a takedown and tried to turn Nurmagomedov who blocked Ramazanov during the turn and got two more points.

14:05: Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) fails to break Artur NAIFONOV (AIN) defense and suffers a 2-1 loss against Naifonov who has dominated Kurugliev. Naifonov will wrestle for the Paris Olympic quota while Kurguliev will have to fight it out in Istanbul.

13:55: Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) and Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) put on a show. The two wrestlers scrambled for the lead and on the mat but it was Kadimagomedov who managed to beat Demirtas 6-1. He will take on Salkazanov for a place in Paris Olympics

13:50: Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) survives an attempted pin from Miroslav KIROV (BUL) as the clock expires for the break. Kirov leads 3-1 with two minutes remaining. A stepout for Salkazanov to cut the lead to 3-2. Another one makes it 3-3 with Kirov holding criteria. With 25 seconds remaining, Salkazanov manages to push Kirov out and takes a 4-3 lead and the win at 74kg.

13:40: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) with a 2-0 victory to enter the semifinals at 74kg. He will take on Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) to win a spot for the Paris Olympics.

13:15: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) with a solid 6-0 win over Suleyman ATLI (TUR) at 57kg to move into the semifinals. Tokyo Olympian Georgi VANGELOV (BUL) pins Kamil KERYMOV (UKR)

13:00: Haji ALIYEV (AZE) hangs on! He moves into the 65kg semifinals with a 4-2 win over Niurgun SKRIABIN (AIN). The National Gymnastics Arena here in Baku is overjoyed with that.

12:45: Artur NAIFONOV (AIN) and Dauren KURUGLIEV (GRE) post contrasting wins in their 1/8 finals at 86kg. Naifonov beats  Ivars SAMUSONOKS (LAT) 10-0 while Kurguliev wins 2-0 against Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL). Naifonov and Kurguliev will clash in the quarterfinals.

12:30: Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) wins 11-0 over Aron CANEVA (ITA) at 86kg. On Mat C, Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) beats Osman GOCEN (TUR) 9-3 at 86kg. A big win for the Georgian wrestler who is moving up from 79kg.

12:10: Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) continues the winning start for Azerbaijan wrestlers by winning 10-0 at 74kg. Bayramov took only two minutes and 10 seconds to beat Tobias PORTMANN (SUI).

12:00: Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) marches on at 74kg. He beats Simon MARCHL (AUT) 7-1 to make his place in the quarterfinal.

11:40: Alikhan ZHABRAILOV (AIN), who replaced Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN), for Baku, starts with a 12-2 win over Benjamin HONIS (HUN) at 97kg.

11:35: Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE) entertains the home crowd with a technical superiority 11-0 win over Simone PIRODDU (ITA) at 57kg. Azerbaijan wrestlers are unbeaten so far in Baku

11:25: European champion Islam DUDAEV (ALB) begins his 65kg campaign with a 10-0 win over Dominik JAGUSZ (POL). He will wrestle Joshua FINESILVER (ISR) next

11:10: Two-time Olympic medalist Haji ALIYEV (AZE) felt the burn in the final minute but he does well to keep Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA) at bay and win 5-2 at 65kg. On Mat A, Erik ARUSHUNIAN (UKR) beats Andre CLARKE (GER) 7-1 at 65kg. 

11:00: Artur NAIFONOV (AIN), wrestling internationally for the first time since the 2021 World Championships, gets going with a technical superiority 10-0 win over Aimar ANDRUSE (EST).

10:45: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) uses a big throw for four in an 11-0 win over Stas David WOLF (GER) to move into the quarterfinals at 74kg.

10:40: In the first bout of the day, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) is up on Mat C facing Patryk OLENCZYN (POL). He leads 6-0 at the break, scoring three takedowns in counters. He adds two more in the second period and gives up three points to win 10-3 and advance at 74kg.

10:30: Day three of the European OG Qualifier in Baku with Freestyle weight classes competing for 12 Paris 2024 spots.

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Lalovic attends WADA Conference, completes development visits in Asia

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 8) -- United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC, who serves on the WADA Executive Committee as an IOC representative, attended the 2025 WADA World Conference held from December 1 to 5 in Busan, Korea.

The conference brought together the global anti-doping community for high-level discussions on the World Anti-Doping Program, with a key focus on approving the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards. The revision process, launched in September 2023, has allowed stakeholders to contribute to strengthening and modernizing the global anti-doping system.

Nenad LALOVIC

Development visits

President Lalovic also completed wrestling-related visits to China, Korea, and Kyrgyzstan, reinforcing UWW’s commitment to supporting National Federations and expanding the sport across the region.

In each country, Lalovic emphasized UWW’s ongoing efforts to deepen cooperation with National Federations, increase engagement, and grow wrestling at the elite and grassroots levels. He encouraged federations to integrate wrestling programs into schools, offering more opportunities for young athletes to enter the sport.

Nenad LALOVIC

A key area of discussion was UWW’s development strategy leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, including updates on Olympic qualification, the Pro Series, and opportunities available to National Federations.

In China, meetings were held with Vice Minister of General Administration of Sport of China Lixin TONG and Vice President of National Olympic Committee of China Jinqiang ZHOU.

UWW also recently announced the addition of Raul TRUJILLO DIAZ, longtime coach of Olympic champion Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) and recipient of the 2025 IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award, to support global development of Greco-Roman. Lalovic highlighted that such initiatives strengthen the sport and promote valuable exchanges of expertise among federations and coaches.

MoU

MoU signed in Kyrgyzstan

During the visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan inaugurated a new wrestling arena and academy, marking a significant step forward in its cooperation with UWW.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between UWW and Izabekov Wrestling Academy to expand development programs and training opportunities in the country.

Accompanied by UWW Asia President Mohammad Al-AWAMLEH and Secretary General Carlos ROY, Lalovic met with representatives of the Kyrgyzstan federation to discuss regional initiatives and long-term development plans.

On December 6, Lalovic was received by Sadyr JAPAROV, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, to whom he presented the UWW medal in recognition of his support for wrestling.