Obituary

Former Bureau Member and Hall of Fame Inductee Mario Saletnig Passes Away

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - 14:37 By Wrestling Canada

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CANADA -- Mario Saletnig an advocate for the sport of wrestling, as both an official and administrator in Canada and internationally, has died.

He served as President of the Canadian Officials Association, and was a referee at four Olympic Games and 25 World Championships, as well as other numerous Continental Championships and Games.

In addition to his work as a referee, Mr. Saletnig was elected to the FILA (now United World Wrestling) Bureau in 1986, became a FILA instructor for 23 years, and served as FILA Vice President from 2000 to 2010.

Mr. Saletnig was President of Wrestling Canada Lutte and served as a Chef de Mission for the Canadian Commonwealth Games Association at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. He was Wrestling Canada’s Vice President, International from 1986 to 2010.

In 1999, Mario Saletnig was inducted to the Wrestling Canada Hall of Fame in the Builder Category, and in 2012 he was named to the FILA Hall of Fame.

Mr. Saletnig also served on the Executive Committee of the Pan-American Wrestling Association for 15 years. His involvement in international wrestling spanned over forty years as an official and administrator.

“Mario was an integral part of the wrestling community here in Canada and globally”, said Don Ryan, President of WCL. “His contributions to the sport were many and significant. We offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and friends during this time”.

via Wrestling Canada

UWW and Iran sign MoU to bring Chouke under Associated Styles

Sunday, April 20, 2025 - 13:07 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 20) — United World Wrestling and the Iran Wrestling Federation took a significant step to promote Choukhe, signing a four-year Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU will enable both organizations to work together to promote and protect Chouke, a traditional form of wrestling, under the UWW Associated Styles.

Both UWW and the Iranian federation will also work to develop Chouke under their umbrella. This agreement's objective is to facilitate the protection, development, and promotion of Chouke. As per the agreement, both parties will hold regular meetings to exchange ideas and share knowledge.

Chouke is a traditional form of wrestling in Iran with wrestlers performing on mud in a marked circular ring. Each bout is of five minutes with more than one bout conducted at the same time. In case of a tie with a one-minute break, three minutes of extra time are added. Within three minutes, the wrestler who earns the first point will be the winner.

This style of wrestling does not allow the wrestler to touch his opponent's legs. The bout can only be fought with grips above the waist. There are different ways to score points in Chouke.

One point is awarded for a takedown, two points are awarded if a throw is completed outside the ring, and one if completed inside. Most other moves award only one point. A fall occurs when even one shoulder touches the ground.

Both wrestlers have to wear the official clothes to compete in Chouke. A t-shirt, a special jacket and a short are considered to be official outfit. The shirt must be long enough to go below the waist and the sleeves be long till the elbow. A strong cloth belt must be tied around the waist of the wrestlers and is fixed at the back and the wrestlers compete barefoot.

The old form of wrestling has a special place in Iranian history, and the agreement will help with its growth and development in Iran. UWW's commitment to work closely with the Iran federation for Chouke is in line with its vision to grow and promote all the traditional forms of the oldest form of the sport.