#WrestleBelgrade

Lalovic Re-Elected as UWW President For Six-Year Term

Sunday, October 31, 2021 - 16:26 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (October 31) – The United World Wrestling held its Congress Sunday and Nenad LALOVIC was re-elected as the President of UWW along with six bureau members in Belgrade, Serbia.

Lalovic, first elected to the post in 2013, will serve a fresh term till 2026 after standing unopposed for the post. Due to the delayed Congress owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, five years remain in his term.

Six bureau members were also elected with Fouad MESKOUT (MAR), Mikhail MAMIASHVILI (RUS), Pedro GAMA FILHO (BRA) and Akhroldjan RUZIEV (UZB) retaining their place after their six-year term came to an end.

Don RYAN (CAN) and Lucio CANEVA (ITA) were the two newly elected members of the bureau. The elected members will serve till 2026.

Lalovic, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, thanked the members of the Congress for their confidence in him since taking over as the President eight years ago.

The 63-year-old's re-election was due in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic which forced UWW to postpone the Congress.

At the Congress, there were 104 eligible voters out of which 103 were cast for the election of bureau members with a majority of 52 votes.

Meskout, Mamiashvili, Ryan, Gama and Ruziev were elected with a clear majority in the first round. The sixth member did not get a clear majority, therefore a second round was conducted after which Caneva was elected to the bureau with 58 votes.

The Congress gathers every two years to discuss a range of topics and in Belgrade, Lalovic stressed the new initiatives in women’s wrestling, promotion of associated styles, youth engagement, the image of wrestling and digital transformation.

Cape Verde, Kuwait Get Affiliation

CPV

In the same direction, Congress approved the affiliation of two new nations -- Cape Verde and Kuwait. Both the nations were also granted voting rights during Congress.

“The support from UWW has been immense and this affiliation is a huge thing for our country,” Secretary-General of the Cape Verde Wrestling Federation Anthony WESLEY (CPV) said. “We have waited for this for a long time. It's been a process which began in 1996.”

Wrestlers from Cape Verde were part of the World Olympic Qualifiers in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier this year.

For Kuwait, the affiliation gives an opportunity to grow the sport and include more kids in the sport.

“We are very excited about this,” wrestler Mohammed ABDULKAREEM (KUW) said. “It began as a small effort but we are here now. We only have the senior team but now we can start the cadet, junior and other levels as well. Thanks to UWW”

Details of the Congress can be found on uww.org.

#development

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia holds series of UWW activities

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 - 13:22 By United World Wrestling Press

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MAKKAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (4 March, 2023)  - A series of UWW activities were organized in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from February 26 to 02 March, 2023 prior to the 2023 U17-U23 Arab Championships. The activities included an Introduction to Refereeing Course, a Coaching Course Level 2, and a Training Camp for Athletes. A total of 94 participants, including athletes, coaches and referees took part in the events. The educators were Ibrahim Ciciouglu (TUR), Hadi Hasan Ismael (IRQ), Juan Luis Maren Delis (CUB), Ahmed Khedhri (TUN), Hassan Madany (EGY) and Sherif Halawa (EGY).

These courses were held with the support of the Olympic Solidarity, Saudi Olympic Committee, United World Wrestling and Saudi Wrestling Federation. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the UWW Development Team and Saudi Wrestling Federation for their outstanding work in organizing the Olympic Solidarity Courses," said Kamel Bouaziz, President of the Arab Wrestling Federation and Vice-President of UWW Refereeing Commission. "The success of these activities has been crucial to the development of wrestling in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I commend the educators who have worked tirelessly to provide the participants with a world-class education. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Development Department in the future, as we work together to advance the sport of wrestling in KSA and across the region."

RefParticipants for the Introduction to Refereeing Course pose for a photo after the competition of the course.(Photo: United World Wrestling)

Introduction to Refereeing Course, 26-28 February 2023
The course was conducted by UWW Educators Ibrahim Ciciouglu (TUR) and Hadi Hasan Ismael (IRQ) and was designed to introduce participants to the fundamentals of refereeing in wrestling. The course covered the rules and regulations of wrestling, scoring and timing, and the role of referees in maintaining fairness and safety in the sport. They also studied evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, the start and end of matches, and referee positioning during the bout. The course was attended by 14 participants who participated in both theoretical and practical sessions on the mat. “One of the nice things about the course was that participants were very eager to learn. Interactive participation was at a high level for both theoretical and the practical parts. The questions they asked and their willingness to participate actively made the course very productive. They were trying to add to the improvement of wrestling in their country with their efforts in refereeing,” said UWW Educator Mr. Ibrahim Cicioglu.

CoachA group of coaches work together to plan a practice during the Level 2 Coaching Course. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Coaching Course Level 2, 26 February – 02 March 2023
The coaching course was conducted by Juan Maren (CUB) and Ahmed Khedhri (TUN). The Level 2 Course focused on the Introduction to Practice Planning. The coach participants worked together in groups and individually to learn many aspects of practice planning. These included: how to plan practices for the week, determine the number of practice and the appropriate time for each age group, determine the type and number of training days, determine the objectives, and how to determine the drills for each practice. The course was attended by 44 coaches from different parts of Saudi Arabia. “ I wanted to emphasize the importance of practice planning. Throughout the course, we encouraged participants to engage in reflective learning methods and emphasized the value of teamwork to help them develop practical skills while receiving feedback. The course included both theory sessions and practical sessions on the mat, where participants learned Long-Term Athlete Development, technical performance analysis, risk management strategies, strength and conditioning planning, weight management, nutrition, athlete mindset, athlete safety, athlete safeguarding, anti-doping, and environmental impact. Overall, I believe that the course was highly informative and provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of coaching principles,” – said UWW Educator Ahmed Khedhri (TUN).

KSATwo athletes spar during the four-day training camp in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Training Camp for Athletes
The Training Camp for Athletes was also held from February 26 to March 2, 2023. Training sessions were also led by UWW Educators Juan Maren (CUB), Ahmed Khedhri (TUN), with assistance of Hassan Madany (EGY). The camp covered technique, conditioning, and mental preparation. The camp was attended by 36 athletes. “Throughout the camp, we focused on developing the fundamentals of wrestling, including technique, strength, and conditioning. We also emphasized the importance of mental toughness, discipline, and sportsmanship, " said UWW Educator Juan Maren (CUB). "As a coach, I have a strong passion for the development and growth of wrestling in KSA, and I am excited to see the progress that these athletes will continue to make in the future.”

Words of participants
“Introduction to refereeing course was very useful for me. This course provides us with an overview of the wrestling rules, scoring system, and basic officiating techniques. Also we have learned referee mechanics, the start and end of the match, as well as respect and cooperation. I’m grateful for this opportunity to become an international referee,” – said Salem Mohammed Salem. 

“A distinguished course through which I was able to deepen my knowledge and acquire new knowledge and skills, theoretically and practically, in a pleasant atmosphere and teamwork. Thanks for Saudi Wrestling Federation and UWW for  giving this opportunity, and I hope for future participation in such courses,” - Magdy Rashad, Saudi national team coach.

“It was a good camp before the competition. The focus of the course was on the technical and tactical performance of each athlete.  This was done by training that was suitable for the pre-competition stage. Athletes also benefited from the presence of the Cuban coach Juan Maren.  I would like to thank United World Wrestling and Saudi wrestling federation,” – said U17 Saudi team athlete Manaf Mohamed Briek Elrashidy.