Development

OlympAfrica Hosts Largest Ever Wrestling Event in Ivory Coast

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (May 17) -- United World Wrestling has partnered with OlympAfrica in Ivory Coast to host that nation's largest ever wrestling event. The two-month program includes more than 2,000 students from Soubré, Meagui and Okrouyo who are taking part in various camps and competitions until June 23. 

United World Wrestling development officer Vincent AKA, who was born in Ivory Coast and wrestled for France, is also leading a Level 1 coaching course in the country.

OlympAfrica is a foundation that has sport development centers in over 46 African countries and works in collaboration with the National Olympic Committees. It was founded based on an idea expressed by the late Juan Antonio SAMARANCH, former President of the International Olympic Committee. 

The foundation is owned by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and supported by the International Olympic Committee, United World Wrestling and other partners, for the development of sports at a recreational and grassroots level in many African countries.

OlympAfrica has set up centers dedicated to sports activities, workshops, HIV prevention, coaching education and much more. The aim of these centers is to involve the youth in sports and activities that are good for their future development once they have finished their day at school. It's an excellent talent identification tool, particularly with the introduction of the Youth Olympic Games in the Olympic program.

#WrestleBelgrade

Preliminary freestyle World Championship seeds announced

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (August 31) --- United World Wrestling has released the preliminary freestyle seeds for the 2023 World Championships.

The point-based seeds were determined by a wrestler's participation and placement at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Continental Championships and 2023 Ranking Series events.

Although it's highly unlikely that the brackets play out exactly how their seeded, but if the seeds were to hold true through the finals in the top-eight seeded system, here's how the bracket will look leading up to the gold-medal match:

Quarterfinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 8 (top side)
No. 4 vs. No. 5 (top side)

No. 2 vs. No. 7 (bottom side)
No. 3 vs. No. 6 (bottom side)

Semifinals: 
No. 1 vs. No. 4 (top side)
No. 2 vs. No. 3 (bottom side)

Finals:
No. 1 vs. No. 2 

*The seeds are based on the current entries provided by National Federations and are subject to change.

Freestyle seeds:

57kg
No. 1 - Wanhao ZOU (CHN)
No. 2 - Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB)
No. 3 - Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
No. 4 - Darian CRUZ (PUR)
No. 5 - Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
No. 6 - Stevan Andria MICIC (SRB)
No. 7 - Aliabbas RZAZADE (AZE)
No. 8 - Beka BUJIASHVILI (GEO)

61kg
No. 1 - Reza Ahmadali ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI)
No. 2 - Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL)
No. 3 - Shota PHARTENADZE (GEO)
No. 4 - Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
No. 5 - Pankaj PANKAJ (IND)
No. 6 - Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR)
No. 7 - Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB)
No. 8 - Nikolai OKHLOPKOV (ROU)

65kg
No. 1 - Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
No. 2 - Sebastian C RIVERA (PUR)
No. 3 - Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
No. 4 - Iszmail MUSZUKAJEV (HUN)
No. 5 - Agustin Alejandro DESTRIBATS (ARG)
No. 6 - Vazgen TEVANYAN (ARM)
No. 7 - Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO)
No. 8 - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND)

70kg
No. 1 - Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ)
No. 2 - Zain Allen RETHERFORD (USA)
No. 3 - Arman ANDREASYAN (ARM)
No. 4 - Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO)
No. 5 - Ramazan RAMAZANOV (BUL)
No. 6 - Servet COSKUN (TUR)
No. 7 - Ihor NYKYFORUK (URK)
No. 8 - Sanzhar DOSZHANOV (KAZ)

74kg
No. 1 - Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)
No. 2 - Kyle Douglas DAKE (USA)
No. 3 - Tajmuraz Mairbekovic SALKAZANOV (SVK)
No. 4 - Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)
No. 5 - Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
No. 6 - Mitchell Louis FINESILVER (ISR)
No. 7 - Murad KURAMAGOMEDOV (HUN)
No. 8 - Sagar JAGLAN (IND)

79kg
No. 1 - Mohammad NOKHODILARIMI (IRI)
No. 2 - Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO)
No. 3 - Arman AVAGYAN (ARM)
No. 4 - Chandler MARSTELLER (USA)
No. 5 - Bolat SAKAYEV (KAZ)
No. 6 - Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
No. 7 - Deepak DEEPAK (IND)
No. 8 - Peilong LI (CHN)

86kg
No. 1 - Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
No. 2 - Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
No. 3 - Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
No. 4 - Myles Nazem AMINE (SMR)
No. 5 - Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI)
No. 6 - Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE)
No. 7 - David Morris TAYLOR III (USA)
No. 8 - Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO)

92kg
No. 1 - Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO)
No. 2 - Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE)
No. 3 - Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
No. 4 - Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR)
No. 5 - Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)
No. 6 - Matthew Phillip FINESILVER (ISR)
No. 7 - Zahid VALENCIA (USA)
No. 8 - Ermak KARDANOV (SVK)

97kg
No. 1 - Kyle SNYDER (USA)
No. 2 - Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
No. 3 - Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)
No. 4 - Vladislav BAJCAJEV (HUN)
No. 5 - Benjamin HONIS (ITA)
No. 6 - Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)
No. 7 - Erik THIELE (GER)
No. 8 - Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)

125kg
No. 1 - Taha AKGUL
No. 2 - Geno PETRIASHVILI
No. 3 - Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR
No. 4 - Daniel LIGETI
No. 5 - Amir Hossein Abbas ZARE
No. 6 - BATIRMURZAEV Yusup
No. 7 - Robert BARAN (POL)
No. 8 - Oleksandr KHOTSIANIVSKYI (UKR)