Webinar

With Online Webinars Wrestling Finds Eager Audience

Thursday, July 30, 2020 - 13:31 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (July 30) -- A move from the mat to the home office was never planned, but for United World Wrestling the transition from mat-based training to online learning is showing positive results.

The hourlong webinars, launched in June, have a been a huge success with more than 40 being delivered by the development department across several languages and attracting viewership from all five continents. 

“Through the pandemic has proven to be challenging in a number of ways, the wrestling community has shown resilience,” said UWW Development Director Deqa Niamkey. “These are challenging times we have managed to engage coaches, referees and national federations on a weekly basis with highly renowned experts to keep our community motivated and learn best practices. We are grateful to be part of this growing wrestling family and we look forward to having everyone back on the field of play.”

In only a month the webinars are attracting an average of 160 total viewers, which is far more than the average in-person attendance seen for the majority of similar seminars. The Spanish-speaking webinar have been the most-watched averaging almost 200 viewers each webinar.

The Refereeing Commission has also launched a Webinar series with eight airing since June 22 and another four scheduled before the end of the summer. There will be translations of the videos in Russian, French, and Spanish posted to the UWW starting July 30. The new webinars will be posted every Thursday in Russian, French and Spanish. Russian will air at 14:00, French at 16:00 and Spanish at 18:00.

“UWW Education Webinars have offered the referee community all over the globe not only a convenient and modern way to learn and upskill on wrestling matters, but also an opportunity to stay again in touch during this difficult period of time, which has been much appreciated,” said UWW Refereeing Commission president Antonio Silvestri.
 
Current webinars have covered multiple aspects of refereeing, from basic skills to detailed analysis of actions and throws, which are intended to assist referees in their learning and better prepare for a return to the mat.
 

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Interview: 'Changing Weight Classes Difficult, But Ready for 97kg Challenge'

Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 06:27 By

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- By Amirreza ALIASGARI

KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his eighth World Championships for Iran on Friday after beating Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 4-2 and 5-3, in two straight matches at 97kg.

In 2015, Yazdani was at 70kg and won a silver medal at his debut World Championships. For a decade, he spent his wrestling career at 86kg, winning two Olympic silver medals, three world titles, two world silver and one bronze medal.

Now at 97kg after two shoulder surgeries, a 31-year-old Yazdani is adjusting to the new weight class. As he returns to the World Championships after three years, Yazdani will be chasing his eighth medal and fourth title.

After making the Iran team for the World Championships, to be held in Astana from October 24 to November 1, Yazdani spoke to United World Wrestling about the challenges of 97kg, returning to the World Championships and how his body is holding up.

Excerpts:

- How are you feeling physically after the two tough matches?

Yazdani: I’ve improved in some areas, especially when it comes to my breathing and conditioning. But we didn’t really have enough time to focus on strength training, so we worked on that a bit less than we wanted to. With the time that’s left until the World Championships, I’m going to do everything I can to get myself in the best shape possible and be even better prepared.

- How prepared were you for the wrestle-off against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)?

Yazdani: For these competitions, I’d say I was about 70 percent ready. It’s hard to be 100 precent prepared for a tournament like this, but by the time the World Championships come around, I’ll definitely be in better shape and more prepared.

- What are your thoughts on competing at 97kg, a weight class that may have four Olympic champions in Astana?

Yazdani: The 97kg weight class is new for me, and of course I have new opponents now. It’s quite different from 86kg. I hope I can put on a good performance in this weight class as well. There are a lot of great champions here, and I hope I get the chance to wrestle against them, challenge myself, and show my best wrestling at the World Championships.

- But will it be challenging for your to be at the top at this weight class?

Yazdani: I already knew how many top wrestlers compete in this weight class. Considering my physical condition, I decided last year to move up to 97kg. Since it’s also an Olympic weight class, I wanted to make the move early so I’d have enough time to fix any weaknesses and adapt before the Olympics. My goal is to be at my very best for both the Olympics and the World Championships, which are just as important.

I wanted to move up sooner so I could get comfortable in this weight class as quickly as possible. Once you get to around 30 years old, things naturally become a little more difficult, and changing weight classes isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are definitely challenges at 97kg, and I’ve thought about all of them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put on my best performance and come away with a great result.