Obituary

Olympic champion Tediashvili passes away at 75

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 - 16:45 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 19) -- Two-time Olympic champion and United World Wrestling Hall of Fame wrestler Levan TEDIASHVILI passed away on Saturday. He was 75 years old.

Tediashvili won the Freestyle gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics and repeated as the Olympic champion at the 1976 Montreal Games. The two Olympic gold medals were won in 82kg and 90kg weight classes respectively.

Born on March 15, 1948, Tediashvili was a four-time world champion, winning the gold medal in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975. His world title and two Olympic medals resulted in him remaining unbeaten internationally from 1971 to 1977.

Levan TEDIASHVILI
Levan TEDIASHVILI

In 1978, he jumped to the 100kg weight class and won a silver medal at the World Championships that year. He also won European titles three times.

Georgia awarded him with Vakhtang Gorgasali First Degree Medal and the title of Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi. The wrestling legend was inducted into the UWW Hall of Fame in 2005. He also acted in awarded winning films including Brighton 4th.

UWW mourns the passing of Tediashvili and expresses its deepest sympathies to the Tediashvili family.

Rabah Chebbah, President of the Algerian Wrestling Federation, Dies at 55

Monday, December 14, 2020 - 15:10 By United World Wrestling Press

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Rabah CHEBBAH, President of the Algerian Wrestling Federation and Treasurer of the Algerian NOC, passed away due to COVID-19. He was 55 years old. 

Mr. Chebbah was considered by his colleagues and sports executives as the linchpin of the Algerian sports movement.

He began his career as the technical director of the wilaya at the level of the Algiers wrestling league, before occupying the positions of DTN and national trainer of Greco-Roman wrestling. 

"We are very saddened to learn of Mr. Chebbah's passing," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "He was passionate about wrestling in his country and a great supporter of our initiatives and progress. We send our condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed."

In recent years Mr. Chebbah had also taken on the role of Treasurer of the Algerian NOC where he was well-liked and admired.

"Myself and the members of the Executive Committee as well as the staff of the Algerian Olympic Committee are devastated and sad by the death of Rabah Chebbah," said COA President Abderrahmane HAMMAD. "It is a great loss for the Algerian sports movement. I knew it when I was an athlete. I want to wish his children and his family all the best."

Mr. Chebbah was buried in the cemetery of Oued Romane (Algiers).