Rulon Gardner

Olympic Channel Releases Trailer for "Rulon Gardner Won't Die"

By United World Wrestling Press

The Olympic Channel has released the trailer for its upcoming documentary on 2000 Olympic gold medalist wrestlers Rulon GARDNER (USA). The film, "Rulon Gardner Won't Die" is set to be released on Wednesday, June 3rd.

From the Olympic Channel press release about the release of the trailer:

MADRID – 13 May 2020  At the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner beat the world’s most dominant wrestler and three-time reigning Olympic champion, Aleksandr Karelin of Russia, propelling him to stardom. But what came after the ‘miracle on the mat’ was even more unpredictable. Gardner’s incredible story is featured in the upcoming Olympic Channel feature-length documentary, Rulon Gardner Won’t Die, which premieres worldwide on Wednesday, 3 June at olympicchannel.com and on its apps for mobile and connected TV devices.

Rulon Gardner Won’t Die, part of the Five Rings Films collection, tells the inspiring story of Rulon Gardner, the youngest of nine children from a Wyoming farming family, who twenty years ago shocked the world at the Olympic Games in Sydney and became an American icon overnight. Instant fame was then followed by tragedy and adversity including near-death experiences, crushing weight gain and bankruptcy. Now, he’s returned to wrestling as a high school coach and is trying to make sense of his legacy – both as an American icon and a cautionary tale for what can come after a miracle.

“This film is an honest look at not only the success I have achieved, but at the hardships that preceded and have followed my Olympic experience,” said Gardner. “I hope that people watching at home will find their own sources of motivation and determination - especially during tough and unpredictable times like we are going through now - and remember that when you get knocked down, you can always get up and persevere.”

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UWW hosts IS Referee Seminar with 117 participants

By United World Wrestling Press

ANTALYA, Turkiye (January 23) -- The United World Wrestling and the Turkish Wrestling Federation hosted the IS Referee and Instructors seminar in Antalya, Turkiye last week.

A total of 117 IS referees and instructors attended the semifinal which ran from January 19 to 21 in the coastal city for a symposium focused on educating on a wide variety of wrestling-related topics. 

The IS category is the highest and most prestigious in international wrestling and the group in Turkiye included referees from each continent.

Planned by the UWW Referee Commission and UWW Sports Department, referees were instructed in theoretical and practical wrestling situations, goals for 2023, improvements as a refereeing group and what to expect at UWW events on the road to Paris Olympics 2024.

RefereePractical demonstrations of skills at the Is Referee Seminar. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The participants were provided with guidelines for the pathway to selection for the Olympics, and an understanding of the current wrestling rules and referee body regulations. Mat training exercises, meant for a better understanding of the common wrestling tactics, scoring maneuvers and execution, were also delivered.

Olympic coaches Radoslav VELIKOV, 2006 world champion from Bulgaria and Greece's Amiran KARDANOV, bronze medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, were also present to help and offer critical advice during practical training.

Special instructions and presentations regarding conflict resolution and the alternative style of Grappling were also administered.

Special thanks to the Turkish Wrestling Federation for planning social and cultural events to further develop comradery among the referees, above and beyond their hosting duties.