Development

REDT in South Africa: Exchange, cooperation to grow wrestling in the region

Monday, January 6, 2025 - 14:23 By United World Wrestling Press

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PRETORIA, South Africa (January 6) -- A week full of initiatives dedicated to the regional development of wrestling took place in Pretoria from 29th to 08th December, bringing together young athletes, coaches, referees, and administrators from six countries in the region. This landmark event, organized under the REDT program launched by United World Wrestling, provided an exceptional platform for training, education, and competition opportunities for various members of the wrestling community - from athletes to coaches, officials and administrators.

With eight countries involved, this event was a full week of education as follows:

  • 29th Nov – 1st Dec - Youth Training Camp 13-15-year-olds, Talent identification with Vincent Aka and Guillermo Menendez Molina.
  • 2nd-5th Dec-Senior international training Camp - U16 years olds till seniors, Vincent Aka and Guillermo Menendes Molina.
  • 1st- 3rd Dec - UWW Level 2 Referee course with Zach Errett, UWW education Manager.
  • 6th-8th Dec - UWW Level 2 Referee course included beach wrestling with Charles Villet, UWW Educator.
  • 1st-5th Dec - UWW Level 3 Coaching course with Vincent Aka, UWW Development Officer.
  • 6th Dec - Administrators course with Deqa Niamkey, UWW Development Director.
  • 7th December - Tournament:  U17, U20 and Seniors  - FS GR WW
  • 8th December - Tournament :  Beach Wrestling  Men, Women - U17, U20 and Seniors

A National Camp for Youth: A Stepping Stone Toward Dakar 2026

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(Vincent Aka and Guillermo Menendes Molina address the Youth Wrestlers at training camp)

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(Certificates on conclusion of the Youth Camp)

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(Certificates on conclusion of the U16+ - Senior camp)

The week began with a national camp exclusively for young talents. The participants, primarily from South Africa, underwent intensive training sessions and enriching exchanges under the supervision of United World Wrestling experts. The goal was to identify and select promising young athletes, with a primary focus on preparing the best youth wrestlers to shine at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

An International Training Camp and Courses for Coaches, referees and administrators

Following this youth talent identification camp, an international training camp allowed wrestlers, from cadets to seniors, to refine their techniques. To support skill development at all levels, several specialized courses were organized:

  • Level 3 Coaching Course, led by Vincent AKA, offering advanced tools for better understanding training periodization and building one's coaching philosophy.

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(Coaches and referees)

In this regard, coach Markus Dekker, head coach of the South African Wrestling Federation, underline: << this program was excellence, I got a lot of positive feedback from the participants>>.

  • Level 2 Refereeing Course, delivered by Zach Errett and Charles Villet, aimed at ensuring high-quality officiating during competitions. Initially led by Zach Errett, the course was later implemented by Charles Villet in real competition settings during the Olympic Wrestling and Beach Wrestling events at the end of the week.

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(Coaches join the referees in a technical rules course)

About the refereeing course, OKOU Timipre, a participant from Nigeria, said: <<The Programme was quite inspiring and apt. However, it will improve the technical and managerial abilities and skills of the Athletes, Coaches, Referees and Administrators in the African Continent and the World at large>>

  • Sports Administration Course, conducted in person by Déqa Niamkey and complemented by a virtual session led by Youssef Bouaziz for national federation and club administrators. Youssef was impressive and demonstrate a high expertise in ARENA by taking control of participants computers and support and guiding them to better understand and act according to difficult situations.

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(Ms. Deqa Niamkey addresses the coaches)

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(Ms. Deqa Niamkey with the RSA Tournament Administration team)

Competitions and Beach Wrestling to Wrap Up the Week

The week concluded with a grand finale featuring an Olympic wrestling tournament that showcased the talent and determination of the participants. A dedicated Beach Wrestling Day, a growing and spectacular discipline, brought the event to a close with a friendly and sporty atmosphere.

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(Wrestlers from different countries pose together for a group photo after the competition)

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(Senior women at the beach wrestling competition)

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(Namibia VS Zambia, women's beach wrestling)

11(Rules discussion at the Beach Wrestling Competition)

A Promising Regional Event

This gathering brought together participants from eight countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Nigeria (represented by a referee and a coach), Zimbabwe, Ecuador and Zambia. This diverse representation highlights the regional commitment to developing wrestling and fostering cooperation among African nations.

Merci Mulenga, President of the Zambian Wrestling Federation, appreciated the REDT and said: “From the Zambian team we would like to send our greatest gratitude to United World Wrestling for giving us the privilege to attend the Intunthuko regional camp and tournament. It is the first time we are attending such an event. I would like to express my appreciation for the good coaching session. It was very helpful and educational to not only us, who are still in the learning phase. but to others as well. On a scale of 10, I would rate my experience at 10/10 and look forward to more amazing programs of the same kind."

For her part, Jeanne-Marié Coetzer, Secretary General of the South African Wrestling Federation insists on the chance brought by the REDT: "This event provided an opportunity for neighboring countries to form a hub that allows their athletes, coaches and referees to gain international exposure and training which would otherwise be very difficult due to finances required for travel to obtain these qualifications otherwise."

The presence of Déqa Niamkey, Director of Development at United World Wrestling, inspired all the participants at this REDT event. By creating training opportunities and strengthening connections among wrestling stakeholders, the REDT laid a solid foundation for the future of the sport in Southern Africa. Participants returned home enriched and ready to share the knowledge gained, making this initiative a model for sports development across the continent.

#WrestleTirana

Ghasempour buries ghosts of past to win Tirana gold; Yoshida stuns Snyder

Thursday, February 27, 2025 - 20:14 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (February 27) -- "Today when I was standing on the podium, I remembered it."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) replays the match in his mind as he speaks. He remembers the move and the loss clearly. At the World Championships in October last year, Ghasempour was four seconds away from upsetting Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) but the latter pulled off an incredible move to beat Ghasempour in the semifinal. While Sadulaev won the gold, Ghasempour returned empty-handed after losing his bronze-medal bout to David TAYLOR (USA).

Ghasempour may not be able to completely erase the memories of that loss with the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series gold medal he won on Thursday, but he says it will help him move on.

"Last year, in this very hall, it was a very bad scene for me," Ghasempour said. "Even today when I was standing on the podium, I remembered it. I should have gone to the Championship podium [at the World Championships]. The regret remained. But well, it's wrestling, and that's part of the events in sports. I tried to forget it and continue on my path."

On Thursday, Ghasempour returned to Tirana at 92kg and showed once again why he is one of the best at 92kg in the world. Wrestling in three bouts, he did not give up a single point [28-0], and scored two technical superiority wins including the final.

"The competition went well," he said. "I was able to wrestle with three good opponents in this tournament and fortunately, I managed to achieve first place. The wrestler [in the final] was a good competitor. I had watched his matches beforehand and planned well. My goal was to put on a good performance, and thankfully, I succeeded."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) sees off Alan BAGAEV (UWW) in the 92kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

In his first bout against world silver medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), Ghasempour ran to an 8-0 lead before moving to defense. He then gut-wrenched Feyzulla AKTURK (TUR) and in the final, he broke Alan BAGAEV (UWW) with ease to win with two minutes remaining.

"I've been wrestling in the 92 kg weight class for several years," he said. "Despite that unfortunate result [last year], this arena was a good field for me. I'm trying to increase my readiness and participate in the next competitions."

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) defeated Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW) 10-0 in the 125kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Paris Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) added a second gold medal to Iran's tally on Thursday as he defeated Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW) in the 125kg final.

Leading up to the final Zare, who had his elbow tapped, looked shaky in his movements on the mat but come the final, he made sure Khizriev wasn't much of a problem.

Zare scored a step out to open the final and then got a point for Khizriev's passivity. A takedown and turn later, Zare was up 6-0 and by the break, Zare had Khizriev struggling with conditioning. As soon as the second period began, Zare was not having any of Khizriev's flamboyance and scored a takedown and a gut to finish it in no time.

Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) blocks an attack from Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostandin Andonov)

A third Iranian wrestler could have won gold medal but Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), who had perhaps his biggest day in international wrestling, denied Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI) in the 97kg final.

Yoshida led 1-1 on criteria at the break in the final after he scored the stepout after Alizadeh's stepout. In the second period, Yoshida got the point for Alizadeh's passivity and then scored a stepout to lead 3-1 with 90 seconds left on the clock.

Alizadeh managed to score a stepout with seven seconds on the clock but Yoshida closed it out to win 3-2 to cap off a remarkable day of wrestling for him.

"I can say that it was a great day because I won at 97kg category," Yoshida said.

Arash YOSHIDA (JPN)Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) scores a takedown against Kyle SNYDER (USA). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

This final, however, was not Yoshida's biggest win of the day. Earlier in the semifinals, he defeated former world and Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA) 5-5, his biggest win of the career.

Yoshida, however, dismissed that.

"That was kind a win by luck," he said. "Good technique at good timing but it was by chance I think."

Yoshida, who seems small for 97kg, was in all sorts of trouble for five minutes and 30 seconds of the match. Snyder clearly overpowered Yoshida and scored a takedown on the edge and as Yoshida was trying to sneak out of the hold, Snyder scored a pushout, all while Yoshida was on activity time.

Snyder led 4-0 before giving up a stepout and as both wrestlers maintained the intensity in the second period, Snyder's strength and positioning didn't let Yoshida get his on his attacks.

However, Yoshida managed to get a cut-back and a turn to lead 5-5 on criteria with 30 seconds on the clock. Despite Snyder's efforts, Yoshida managed to remain in contact and not get scored on to complete a top-class win.

"I compete in Bulgaria. I tried my best to prepare perfectly for this tournament also, but yeah I can say I still have tiredness from that," he said.

Despite the win over Snyder, Yoshida will continue training in his usual style to remain calm for big tournaments.

"I train like I always do," he said. "When I’m preparing for tournaments I become nervous but I think it’s important to do usual things to keep calm"

 

At 79kg, Gadzhimurad ALIKHMAEV (UWW) managed a perfect final to beat Paris Olympian Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 4-1, and claim the gold medal.

Alikhmaev as wrestling only at the his second Ranking Series event of the career, having wrestling last at the Yasar Dogu in 2022. Since, he has been out of action for three years.

Japan dominated Women's Wrestling as usual winning two golds on offer on Thursday.

Umi ITO (JPN), who suffered her first international loss at the U23 World Championships in Tirana last year, made sure she took home better memories, winning the gold medal at 50kg.

Wrestling Paris Olympian Oksana LIVACH (UKR) in the final, Ito needed just 33 seconds to get a 10-0 technical superiority win, her fourth of the day.

Barring the quarterfinal against Nadezha SOKOLOVA (UWW) who threw Ito for a four-pointer using a headlock, the Japanese was in complete control of her bouts.

"In October, I lost at the U23 World Championships in Tirana and I felt extremely frustrated," Ito said. "But I'm very happy to be able to talk about that frustration on the same stage. After the U23s ended, I learned that I make small mistakes and give chances to my opponents, and that those kind of mistakes can affect the outcome of a match."

Despite her impeccable record internationally, Ito has not representated Japan at the senior World Championships as she is stuck behind Yui SUSAKI (JPN) and Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN).

"Both Sasaki and Yoshimoto are opponents I have to defeat in order to participate in the Olympics," she said. "I believe that if I don't win at home first, we won't be able to win at the World Championships. So even after I return to Japan, I'll continue to practice and overcome the challenges so that I can win the Meiji Cup next June."

Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN)Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) defeated Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) in the 55kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Japan won its second gold medal in Women's Wrestling through three-time world champion Haruna MURAYAMA OKUNO (JPN) defeated Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW) 5-0 in the 55kg final.

She opened the day on a slow note, winning only 2-0 against Karla GODINEZ (CAN) but blanked former world silver medalist Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) 10-0.

In the final, Khoroshavtseva was cautioned when Maruyama scored a stepout. With a 2-0 lead, Maruyama was content to keep the lead but Khoroshavtseva used open hands on the face and was cautioned again which gave one more point to the Japanese. A takedown late in the bout made it 5-0 for Maruyama.

RESULTS

Freestyle

79kg
GOLD: Gadzhimurad ALIKHMAEV (UWW) df. Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO), 4-1

BRONZE: Ahmad MAGOMEDOV (MKD) df. Evan WICK (USA), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) df. Hayk PAPIKYAN (ARM), 5-2

92kg
GOLD: Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Alan BAGAEV (UWW), 11-0

BRONZE: Michael MACCHIAVELLO (USA) df. Ahmed BATAEV (BUL), 3-1
BRONZE: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), via inj. def.

97kg
GOLD: Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) df. Erfan ALIZADEH (IRI), 3-2

BRONZE: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Dato PIRUZASHVILI (GEO), 10-0
BRONZE: Magomedgadji NUROV (MKD) df. Batyrbek TSAKULOV (SVK), 4-0

125kg
GOLD: Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) df. Zelimkhan KHIZRIEV (UWW), 10-0

BRONZE: Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) df. Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO), 4-0
BRONZE: Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (UWW) df. Hakan BUYUKCINGIL (TUR), via inj. (8-6)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
GOLD: Umi ITO (JPN) df. Oksana LIVACH (UKR), 10-0

BRONZE: Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (UWW) df. Katie DUTCHAK (CAN), 10-0
BRONZE: Erin GOLSTON (USA) df. MEIDUOLAJI (CHN), 4-2

55kg
GOLD: Haruna MURAYAMA (JPN) df. Olga KHOROSHAVTSEVA (UWW), 5-0 

BRONZE: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Mariana DRAGUTAN (MDA), 10-0
BRONZE: Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) df. Karla GODINEZ (CAN), 3-1