Obituary

Olympic champion Mustafa Dagistanli passes away

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 - 15:11 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (September 20) -- Two-time Olympic champion and member of the United Wrestling Hall of Fame Mustafa DAGESTANLI (TUR) passed away on Monday. He was 91 years old.

Born in 1931 in Soguroinar village of Carsamba, Turkey, Dagistanli won gold medals at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. He was also a three-time world champion with gold medals in 1954, 1957 and 1959.

In the 1956 Melbourne Games, Dagistanli won gold in the 56kg weight class. Four years later in Rome, he jumped up to 62kg and finished on the top of the podium.

Dagistanli made his debut for Turkey in 1953 but quickly became one of the most dominant wrestlers in the world and won the first world title in Tokyo in 1954.
 
In his 320 recorded bouts in Turkey, Dagistanli won 319 out of 320 bouts and 70 out of 73 at the international level. The achievement puts him among the best wrestlers walking on the planet during his active days.

After his retirement, he worked as a coach and was part of the Turkish Wrestling Federation. He also served in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as the Samsun Deputy of the Justice Party for two terms between 1973-1980 and received the State Distinguished Service Medal.

#development

UWW raises awareness around 'Safe Sport' with Belgrade booth

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 13:14 By United World Wrestling Press

Share this article

BELGRADE, Serbia (October 4) --- United World Wrestling established a 'Safe Sport' booth in the warm-up area at the 2023 World Championships, to raise awareness on crucial subjects related to Anti-Doping and Safeguarding Athletes.

Athletes, coaches, and physicians had the opportunity to scan a QR code and complete a 20-question quiz available in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Russian. Upon completing the quiz, participants received a small gift branded with empowering messages like 'Empower, Protect, Wrestle with Respect' or 'We Wrestle Clean.'

This initiative proved to be a tremendous success, with more than 300 athletes participating in the online quiz. This figure represents approximately one-fourth of the total number of athletes present at the event.

Arsen JULFALAKYAN, Chair of the UWW Athletes Commission, played a crucial role in emphasizing the significance of creating a safe environment for all individuals engaged in wrestling. He stressed the importance of Athletes Safeguarding and asserted that it should be a shared concern for everyone involved in our sport. Mr. Julfalakyan also emphasized that we bear the responsibility of educating and empowering athletes with the ultimate goal of establishing a secure and inclusive environment in which all participants in the world of wrestling are respected, valued, and protected.