Obituary

Olympian and longtime referee Eberhard Probst passes away

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 22) -- Two-time world bronze medalist and Olympian Eberhard PROBST from Germany passed away at the age of 69 years.

Probst was born on June 4, 1955, in Querfurt, where he grew up and began wrestling in 1966 at his club the BSG Merseburg. He attended the Children's and Youth Sports School in Halle an der Saale. From 1970 to 1985, Probst collected 17 East German championship titles for the Chemie Halle Sports Club, making him one of the most successful national freestyle wrestling champions all over Germany. 

At the international level, Probst won World Championships bronze medals in 1979 and 1982 while finishing fifth at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He also placed eighth at the 1976 Montreal Games. He also won bronze medals at the European Championships in 1976, 1979 and 1981.

After his active career, Probst began a career as a referee in 1984 and, due to his reserved, factual-calm, and expert manner, also internationally developed into one of the best referees in the world from 1986 onwards.

Probst was nominated for his first Olympic Games as a referee in 2004, the third overall, in Athens. As the only German mat official, he represented Germany at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At the World Championships in Herning, Denmark, in 2009, he received the Golden Whistle, the highest award for referees by UWW.

United World Wrestling launches UWW+ Yearly Pass

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 1) --- United World Wrestling announces the launch of its UWW+ yearly pass. After the successful launch of UWW+, UWW has decided to offer wrestling content to all of its fans all year around.

Wrestling fans will be able to choose their pass based on their content preferences. Three different passes will be offered throughout the year:

  • Yearly pass: The yearly pass is a 365-day rolling subscription. Those fans with a yearly pass will be able to access all the live stream tournaments, exclusive content, behind the scenes content and video on demand content.

  • Tournament pass: Fans will be able to choose specific events they're most interested in. Cost might vary based on the popularity and significance of the event. The tournament pass will give fans access to the live stream of that specific tournament and also special features, interviews, and previews exclusive to each event.

  • Daily pass: The daily pass is a 24-hour pass ideal for fans who can't commit to watching an entire tournament but don't want to miss out on specific days or wrestlers. Those fans who purchase a daily pass will have access to all matches, highlights, and content for 24 hours from the time of purchase.

The yearly pass will be available to purchase starting February 1st, 2024 and an early bird discount of 15% off will be offered during the month of February with the promo code UWW15. Wrestling fans will save at least 30% by purchasing the yearly pass.