#WrestleParis

IOC announces first AINs for 2024 Paris Olympics, 16 wrestlers eligible

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 15) -- The International Olympic Committee on Saturday announced the eligible Individual Neutral Athletes for the Paris 2024 with 16 wrestlers making the cut for the Games.

The list of eligible athletes in the first group of sports that finished their qualifying process for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is according to the strict eligibility conditions established by the IOC Executive Board in December 2023.

The IOC EB established the Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel (AINERP) in March 2024 to evaluate the eligibility of each athlete with a Russian or Belarusian passport to participate in the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and that of their support personnel. It delegated to the AINERP and the IOC administration the authority to invite an AIN, and their support personnel, to participate in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The AINERP reviewed the athletes in accordance with the IOC EB decision and the principles established. The Panel was in a position to benefit from new information from various sources, in particular official lists of athletes affiliated with sports clubs of the military and the security forces published on official websites in Russia and Belarus.

Out of the 16 approved wrestlers, 10 AINs are holders of Russian passports while six are holders of Belarussian passports. During the United World Wrestling qualifying events, AINs with Russian passports earned 16 quotas and holders of Belarussian passports won 10 Paris quotas.

According to the IOC, the number of eligible athletes may be lower than the number of earned quota places. In such cases, these quota places will be reallocated to athletes from other NOCs in accordance with the qualification system of the respective IF.

The wrestlers who are deemed eligible will compete as AINs, without any flags or references to their respective countries. Additionally, the national anthems of Russia and Belarus will not be played in the event of medals being awarded to these athletes.

Participation in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is subject to the athlete’s acceptance of the individual invitation and signature of the Conditions of Participation applicable to all participants. The form contains a commitment to respect the Olympic Charter, including “the peace mission of the Olympic Movement”.

The following are the eligible wrestlers allowed to compete as AINs at the Olympic Games Paris 2024:

Eligible and invited athletes with a Russian passport:

Freestyle
Nachin MONGUSH
Shamil MAMEDOV
Arslan BAGAEV
Abdulla KURBANOV

Greco-Roman
Alan OSTAEV
Magomed MURTAZALIEV

Women's Wrestling
Natalya MALYSHEVA
Veronika CHUMIKOVA
Alina KASABIEVA
Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA

Eligible and invited athletes with a Belarusian passport:

Freestyle
Yahor AKULICH
Uladzislau KAZLOU

Greco-Roman
Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU
Dzmitri ZARUBSKI

Women's Wrestling
Viyaleta REBIKAVA
Krystsina SAZYKINA

Read the full IOC decision regarding Individual Neutral Athletes here.

#WrestleTirana

European Championships 2026 Greco-Roman Brackets, Live Streaming

By United World Wrestling Press

TIRANA, Albania (April 19) -- The European Championships will kick off on April 20 in at the Feti Borova Olympic Park arena.

Five Greco-Roman weight classes will in action on Monday -- 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, and 130kg. The qualification rounds for all five weight classes will begin at 10:30 hours local time in Tirana. The semifinals will be begin at 18:00 hours.

UWW Plus

Full schedule for European Championships 2026

The brackets for the Greco-Roman were released Sunday. Riza KAYAALP (TUR) will take first steps towards breaking Aleksandr KARELIN's long-standing record of 12 European Championships gold medals when he steps on the mat for his 130kg match.

World champion Malkhas AMOYAN (ARM) will be aiming for his fifth European title at 77kg. Amoyan has four European titles at 77kg and one at 72kg.

European Championships 2026 Live Streaming: UWW+

Olympic champion Semen NOVIKOV (BUL) will be in action at 87kg along with world champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB), Olympic bronze medalist Turpal BISULTANOV (DEN), Alan OSTAEV (UWW), and Yaroslav FILCHAKOV (UKR).

World champion at 55kg Vakhtang LOLUA (GEO) will be aiming for his first European title. Defending champion Kerem KAMAL (TUR) will be at 63kg.

Click here for full European Championships 2026 Preview

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