Obituary

Olympic champion Macha passes away

Wednesday, May 31, 2023 - 09:40 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 31) -- Olympic champion and United World Wrestling Hall of Fame member Vitezslav MACHA (CZE) passed away on May 29 aged 75.

Macha, born in 1948, was the only Olympic champion from the country as he won the gold medal in Greco-Roman 74kg weight class at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. He had defeated Petros GALAKTOPOULOS (GRE) in the final bout. At the next Olympics in 1976, Macha won a silver medal at the Montreal Games to become a two-time Olympic medalist.

In World Championships, Macha stood on the top of the podium twice -- 1974 in Poland and 1977 in Sweden. His European Championships record includes a gold medal at the 1977 edition and four other medals -- two silver and two bronze.

Macha last competed at the 1980 Olympic Games, finishing sixth, before moving into coaching and even holding the post of President of the Czech Wrestling Federation.

UWW expresses its deepest condolences to the Macha family.

2026 U20 Pan-American Championships

U20 Pan-American Championships 2026 Wrestling Live Streaming, Full Schedule, Results

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - 13:52 By United World Wrestling Press

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Wrestling: Bowen BASSETT (USA)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (June 8) -- The Wrestling U20 Pan-American Championships 2026 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 9 to 11. Wrestling competition will be held at the Physical Education Center Admiral Adalberto Nunes (CEFAN).

Freestyle will kick off action with all 10 weight classes on the mat on July 9, Women's Wrestling will be held on July 10 and Greco-Roman will finish the tournament on July 11.

The Wrestling U20 Pan-American Wrestling Championships 2026 will be live on uww.org and it is free to watch. Just sign up for UWW+ and watch the competition: Sign Up for UWW+ and download the UWW app.

Download the UWW App - Apple's App Store | Google Play Store

For viewers in the U.S. and Canada, visit FloWrestling to watch.

Wrestling, U20 Pan-American Championships

Full Schedule of U20 Pan-Am Championships 2026 Click Here

More than 200 wrestlers will compete in 30 weight classes in the three-day tournament. Click here for the list of wrestlers.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | ENTRY LIST | RESULTS | TEAM RANKINGS

Join the 2026 U20 European Wrestling Championships Conversation

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