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Important Updates for Ranking Series, Olympic Qualification Events

Friday, September 6, 2019 - 13:06 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 6) – The Technical Commission of United World Wrestling has approved new regulations for the 2020 Ranking Series events and seeding for Olympic qualification events. The commission has also provided guidance on the calendar for Ranking Series events in 2021-2023.

The first of the 2020 Ranking Series events will be at the end of January and the second will be the first week of June. All three styles will be competed at the same event (as will be the norm in 2021 and beyond). The points earned will be considered when determining the seeds at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

To ensure that the best remaining wrestlers qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Olympic qualification events will include seeds for the top two wrestlers in each category. Athletes from nations who are not qualified for the Olympic Games may earn points at the following events:

  • 2019 Senior World Championships
  • 2020 Senior Continental Championships
  • 2020 1st Ranking Series Event

Should there be a tie among wrestlers at the continental and Last Chance event the seeding criteria will be:

  1. Rank in the 2019 Senior World Championships (in the concerned weight category)
  2. Rank in the 2020 Senior Continental Championships (in the concerned weight category)
  3. The number of events (in the three events mentioned above) in which the athletes competed (in the concerned weight category).
  4. If still a tie, then a seed will be allocated via a number from the UWW Official Draw Device with the lower number earning the seed position.

Please note that an athlete must have at least two ranking points to be eligible for a seed position.

The Technical Commission also approved general guidance for the 2021-2023 Ranking Series. Moving forward, Ranking Series events will be held at the same time and in the same location year-to -- they will also include all three styles of wrestling. In order to ensure geographical equity, it was determined that one Pan-American and one Asian country should host a Ranking Series event, with the other two slated for European destinations.

The general calendar guidelines are as follows:

  • 1st Ranking Series (Beginning of February)
  • 2nd Ranking Series (End of February)
  • 3rd Ranking Series (June)
  • 4th Ranking Series (July. Or August when the Worlds are organized in October)

Locations will be voted on by the bureau in the coming months. National Federations interested in hosting a Ranking Series event are encouraged to contact the Sport Department.

Austria Develops Wrestling Future at UWW Performance Centre A.C. Wals

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 08:50 By

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WALS-SIEZENHEIM, Austria (June 16) -- Anyone in Wals-Siezenheim, Austria, looking for the local wrestling centre is directed towards the fire station. Standing in front of it, you look up at the tall tower where the hoses are hung up to dry after call-outs, and at the garages housing the emergency vehicles. But the floor above the firefighters belongs to the wrestlers.

The training centre of wrestling champions A.C. Wals was inaugurated in 1994, completely renovated in 2022 and, a year later, declared the sixth United World Wrestling training centre worldwide by UWW President Nenad LALOVIC.

The former mayor of Wals-Siezenheim, Ludwig BIERINGER, visits the training centre almost daily and can recount stories about the development of the wrestling venue, as well as the sporting stronghold of Wals-Siezenheim, home to the Red Bull family.

His words, "if, by building the wrestling centre, we manage to keep even one young person away from drugs, then this investment will have been worth it,” are likely to hold just as much significance today as they did 32 years ago, when the training hall was completed.

h In Austria, wrestlers are battling against the dominance of winter sports; whilst every child knows the ski jumpers, downhill and slalom skiers, wrestlers have to work incredibly hard to also make it into the spotlight of the mainstream media.

In Toni MARCHL, the Austrian Wrestling Federation has a dedicated and passionate leader who has given himself fully to the growth of the sport. His extensive network spans business, politics, and the highest levels of international sport, including UWW European Council President Karl Martin Dittmann and UWW President Lalovic, with whom he has built a strong and trusted relationship.

AC WalsFitness centre at A.C. Wals. (Photo: Austrian National Wrestling Centre)

Back to the training centre in Wals, which was designated a UWW higperformance centre in 2022, wrestlers from all over the world now come together to train. This naturally also benefits the ORSV wrestlers, who can now train alongside the world’s best on a selective basis – and do so at home, on their own mats. What’s more, thanks to the efforts of ORSV wrestlers can now be found in positions supported by the sports programme within the army, as well as in the police, judiciary and customs services.

A small boarding school accommodates male and female athletes from all over Austria who combine school, vocational training or work with the demands of competitive sport in Wals-Siezenheim, whilst also travelling there on an ad hoc basis for centralised training sessions.

A large team of coaches has also been established to pass on their experience to the wrestlers. Georg MARCHL (Freestyle), Jeno BODI and Amer HRUSTANOVIC (Greco-Roman), and Elena PITTL (Women's Wrestling) lead a well-trained and dedicated team of coaches, supported and supervised by sports director Benedikt ERNST, and trained in collaboration with former German heavyweight wrestler Sven THIELE. The medical sector is also well-equipped in Wals-Siezenheim, with physiotherapy and sports medicine staff.

AC WalsA.C. Wals

The UWW Performance Centre is having an impact on the larger Austrian clubs and federations, which are following its example in developing talent under ever-improving conditions, so that an ever-stronger elite is emerging from the existing base. But no champion falls from the sky, no talent becomes a world champion overnight; everything takes time.

The ORSV is firmly committed to the long-term development of its athletes, investing in homegrown talent and building a sustainable future for Austrian wrestling. This philosophy is reflected in the growth of wrestlers such as Markus RAGGINER, Daniel GASTL, Simon MARCHL, Benjamin GREIL, Johannes LUDESCHER, Aker ACHMIDT and, last but not least, 10-time international medallist Martina KUENZ.

Projects like the UWW Performance Centre in Wals-Siezenheim represent exactly the kind of investment that nurtures the next generation, creates lasting foundations for the sport, and ensures that Austria's wrestling future is built from within.

 - by Jorg RITCHER, Ringsport Magazine