U23 World C'ships

Russia and India Send Two to Gold-Medal Matches in Tournament Finale

Sunday, November 26, 2017 - 16:19 By Taylor Miller

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BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – Two nations, Russia and India, each advanced two wrestlers to the World-title bouts in the final night of the U23 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Sunday.

Russia and India will have one head-to-head match, which will be featured at 65 kg.

Nachyn Sergeevitch KUULAR (RUS), a two-time World Military Games champion, looks for his third World title. He’ll wrestle Bajrang BAJRANG (IND), who won the 2017 Asian Indoor Games and took top prize at the 2017 Asian Championships.

India will also be represented at 70 kg, where Kumar VINOD (IND) will face Richard LEWIS (USA) for the World title. Lewis made his international debut today and landed the U.S. its first medal of the week-long event, cruising to the finals.

Russia’s second finalist is Gadzhi NABIEV, 2015 Junior World champion and 2017 Russian Championships silver medalist. He’ll go head-to-head with 2017 Junior European bronze medalist Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) in the 74 kg finals.

At 97 kg, 2016 Junior World bronze winner and 2015 Junior World runner-up Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) seeks his third World medal. Challenging him is 2017 Asian Indoor Games champion and Golden Grand Prix silver medalist Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI).

With no medals thus far in the tournament, USA is the only country seeking a medal at all four weights on Sunday night.

The medal matches start at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

Finals matchups
65 kg
Gold - Bajrang BAJRANG (IND) vs. Nachyn Sergeevitch KUULAR (RUS)
Bronze - Joseph Christopher MC KENNA (USA) vs. Heorhi KALIYEU (BLR)
Bronze - Haydar YAVUZ (TUR) vs. Yones Aliakbar EMAMICHOGHAEI (IRI)

70 kg
Gold - Kumar Omprakash VINOD (IND) vs. Richard Anthony LEWIS (USA)
Bronze - Muhammet AKDENIZ (TUR) vs. Zulfikar MAKHAMATOV (KAZ)
Bronze - Mirza SKHULUKHIA (GEO) vs. Nobuyoshi TAKOJIMA (JPN)

74 kg
Gold - Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK) vs. Gadzhi NABIEV (RUS)
Bronze - Isaiah Alexander MARTINEZ (USA) vs. Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Bronze - Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) vs. Engin Rashid ISMAIL (BUL)

97 kg
Gold - Dzianis KHRAMIANKOU (BLR) vs. Mojtaba Mohammadshafie GOLEIJ (IRI)
Bronze - Ty Ryan Jack WALZ (USA) vs. Chaoqiang YANG (CHN)
Bronze - Rasul MAGOMEDOV (RUS) vs. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)

UWW Lifts Restrictions on Belarus, Russia Wrestlers

Friday, May 15, 2026 - 03:02 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 15) -- United World Wrestling will allow Belarusian and Russian wrestlers to compete without restrictions at upcoming UWW competitions with immediate effect.

Under the updated participation guidelines, wrestlers from Belarus and Russia will compete under their respective national flags at all age-group levels, including senior. Athlete and staff uniforms may now bear the country initials “RUS” and “BLR,” while the national anthems of both countries will be played during medal ceremonies at UWW events if their wrestlers win gold medals or a team wins a championship.

All other standard UWW competition protocols will remain in effect in accordance with international wrestling rules.

In January, UWW had approved the participation of all wrestlers from the two countries up to the U23 age-group level under their respective national flags following an IOC recommendation that youth athletes holding Belarusian or Russian passports should no longer face restrictions on participation in sports events, including team competitions.

UWW first issued a statement on the geopolitical situation surrounding Ukraine in March 2022 and aligned with measures recommended by the IOC. At the time, UWW decided that wrestlers and officials belonging to affiliated and associated federations in Belarus and Russia would not be invited or allowed to participate in international competitions on the UWW calendar.

In April 2023, UWW formed an independent panel to verify the eligibility of wrestlers from Belarus and Russia based on the IOC’s recommended conditions of participation. At the same time, UWW approved wrestlers in the U15 and U17 age categories to compete as neutral athletes in international competitions.

UWW issued another update to the eligibility criteria for Belarusian and Russian wrestlers in September 2024. In February 2025, UWW announced that all eligible wrestlers from Belarus and Russia would compete under the UWW flag, removing the “Individual Neutral Athletes” designation. However, UWW did not authorize the use of national anthems or references to the flags, symbols, or coats of arms of Belarus and Russia.