Development

Saudi Wrestling Federation growing wrestling through education

Monday, October 14, 2024 - 11:40 By United World Wrestling Press

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (12 October) – The Saudi Wrestling Federation has been organizing coaching and referee courses to grow and develop wrestling within their country over the past few years. Their hard work led to their first-ever silver medal at the U20 Asian Championships. Manthr Jndu achieved this at 63kg in Greco-Roman.

In late April, they organized two more courses (Level 1 Coaching Course and Introduction to Refereeing Course) for new coaches and referees. The Saudi Wrestling Federation held these courses in partnership with United World Wrestling.  

Mr. Hassan MADANY (EGY) and Mr. Juan Luis MAREN (CUB) conducted the Level 1 Coaching Course, and Mr. Sherif HALAWA (EGY) and Mr. Mohsen YAMANI (KSA—Chief of Saudi Referees) led the Introduction to Refereeing course. The courses were held from 28 April to 2 May and included 91 participants (22 women) from 8 nationalities, including participants from EGY, MAR, SYR, SUD, NGR, JOR, KGZ, and KSA residing in Saudi Arabia.

The coaching course had 71 participants, including 17 women coaches. The Level 1 Course is the Introduction to Coaching and Safety. During the course, the participants participated in theoretical and practical sessions. Some of the topics covered were discovery games, introducing a new technique, coaching skills, giving feedback, risk management, age, and developmental stage characteristics.  The coaches actively practiced and developed their skills during the course through practical evaluations. Overall, the coaches gained important knowledge and skills to help them improve in their role as coaches.  

The Introduction to Refereeing Course had 20 participants, including 5 women referees. The participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee.  The areas covered during the course included the safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout.  The participants were active during the course and could practice their skills through practical evaluations. 

During the courses, there were sessions involving both referees and coaches, led by Mr. Halawa. This allowed both groups to work together and better learn wrestling rules.

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South Africa completes phase one of UWW DNSS Program

Monday, November 17, 2025 - 08:24 By United World Wrestling Press

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PRETORIA, South Africa (November 17) --  The South African Wrestling Federation successfully completed the first phase of the United World Wrestling National Development and Support Strategy (DNSS) from October 17 to 26.

Under the supervision of Vincent AKA, UWW International Development Officer for Africa, and the coordination of Markus DEKKER, member of the SAWF Coaches Council, a nationwide development mission was undertaken. The UWW-SAWF team visited provincial associations, conducting technical assessments, talent identification sessions, and workshops for coaches.

South Africa

Using the UWW National Federation Assessment Tool (NFAT), the mission provided a detailed overview of the current state of wrestling in South Africa -- from grassroots participation to elite athlete preparation.

The tour covered major provinces including Western Cape, Eastern Province, Free State, Northern Cape, Gauteng North, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West, engaging hundreds of athletes, coaches, and local administrators.

The assessment revealed strong technical potential among the U15 and U17 categories, as well as a growing passion for wrestling across communities and schools.

The mission also identified the need for stronger governance structures and more consistent communication between SAWF, provinces, and clubs to unify efforts under a national development plan.

Both teams will continue to work towards second phase of the program which will include establishing two regional pilot centers [Pretoria and Western Cape] to act as training and coordination hubs, launch a "School Integration" program linking PE teachers, schools, and wrestling clubs, developing a national athlete database to monitor and support emerging talents.

It will also aim to organize governance and compliance workshops to reinforce management capacity, implementing UWW coaching courses nationwide, forming a National Technical Committee to coordinate DNSS implementation and introducing measurable evaluation indicators to ensure accountability and progress tracking.