#HungarianGP2019

Olympic Silver Medalist Ota Headlines Saturday Night's Hungarian Grand Prix Finals

By Eric Olanowski

GYOR, Hungary (February 23) -  Rio Olympic runner-up Shinobu OTA (JPN) headlines Saturday night's Hungarian Grand Prix finals, where he'll wrestle China's fifth-ranked TUO Erbatu for the 63kg gold medal.

Ota reached the finals handling Olympic bronze medalist Stig-Andre BERGE (NOR), 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Ota and Berg's Hungarian Grand Prix quarterfinals bout was their second meeting since 2016. Their first match came in the quarterfinal round match at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where Ota won 4-0. 

Japan's 2018 Asian Games champion defeated Iran's Meysam DALKHANI, 5-2 in the semifinals, reaching his first career Ranking Series gold-medal bout. 

Ota will wrestle China's fifth-ranked Tuo Erbatu in the 63kg gold-medal bout. Tuo upset the 2018 world bronze medalist WALIHAN Sailike (CHN), 7-3 in the quarterfinals. Walihan won his world bronze medal down at 60kg, where he's currently ranked No. 3 in the world. Tuo then rolled into the finals thumping America's Travis RICE (USA), 9-0 in the semifinals. 

Ota and Tuo's Saturday night matchup will be their first career meeting.

The Hungarian Grand Prix opening day finals begin at 18:00. 

SCHEDULE

Saturday (February 23) 
17:00 - Opening Ceremony 
18:00 - Finals for GR cat. 55, 63, 72, 82, 97kg Award ceremonies 

Sunday (February 24) 
8.30 - Medical examination & Weigh-in for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
10.00 - Qualification rounds and repechage for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg
16.00 - Finals for GR cat. 60, 67, 77, 87, 130kg and Award ceremonies

Day One Finals 
63kg - Erbatu TUO (CHN) vs. Shinobu OTA (JPN) 
72kg - Sachino DAVITAIA (GEO) vs. Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) 
82kg -  Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) vs. Rajbek Alvievich BISULTANOV (DEN) 
97kg -  Tracy Gangelo HANCOCK (USA) vs. Fatih BASKOY (TUR) 

#UnitedWorldWrestling

Dittmann re-elected as European Council President

By United World Wrestling Press

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (April 6) — Karl Martin DITTMANN was re-elected as the President of the European Council at the election held Sunday on the sidelines of the European Championships in Bratislava.

The elections were held for the Executive Committee of the UWW-European Council for seven members and 11 nominations were received for the same. Four members were re-elected while three new members were added after they won the majority vote of at least 17 from total votes of 33.

Four re-elected members:

Razvan PIRCALABU (ROU)
Csilla ALI (HUN)
Karl-Martin DITTMANN (GER)
Georgy BRYUSOV (RUS)

Three newly elected members are:

Yusif ABBASOV (SRB)
Edisher MACHAIDZE (GEO)
Salvatore FINIZIO (ITA)

Pircalabu was also re-elected as the Vice-President and so was Ali who was re-elected as the Secretary of the council.

Onder YAKSI (TUR), who was the member of the European Council, was approved to be the co-opted member of the council at the general assembly.