Development

Saudi Wrestling Federation growing wrestling through education

By United World Wrestling Press

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.

2026 U20 Asian Championships

U20 Asian Wrestling Championships: Watch Live Streaming, Brackets, Results

By United World Wrestling Press

PATTAYA, Thailand (June 29) -- The U20 Asian Championships kicks off in Pattaya, Thailand from Wednesday with Greco-Roman, followed by Women's Wrestling and then Freestyle.

LIVE MATCH ORDER | WATCH GRECO-ROMAN LIVE

The U20 Asian Wrestling Championships will run from July 1 to 5 with 120 medals up for grabs. Iran, India, Japan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan remain the strongest countries in the mix.

Full schedule of the U20 Asian Championships 2026, click here.

The live streaming of the U20 Asian Wrestling Championships will be free on uww.org and the UWW App: Download UWW+ App on Apple's App Store | Google Play Store

 

Complete list of wrestlers participating, results, live streaming, brackets, team standing, and photos.

ENTRIES | BRACKETS | RESULTS | NEWS | TEAM RANKING | PHOTOS

Full schedule of the U20 Asian Championships:

Day 1 - July 1, Wednesday

Greco-Roman Qualification Rounds & Semifinals: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Repechage Rounds: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - after semifinals
Greco-Roman Final Medal Bouts: 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg - 18:00 hours

Day 2 - July 2, Thursday

Greco-Roman Qualification Rounds & Semifinals: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Greco-Roman Repechage Rounds: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - after semifinals
Greco-Roman Final Medal Bouts: 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg - 18:00 hours

Day 3 - July 3, Friday

Women's Wrestling Qualification Rounds & Semifinals: All 10 weight classes - 10:30 hours onwards
Women's Wrestling Repechage Rounds: All 10 weight classes - after semifinals
Women's Wrestling Final Medal Bouts: All 10 weight classes - 18:00 hours

Day 4 - July 4, Saturday

Freestyle Qualification Rounds & Repechage: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Repechage Rounds: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - after semifinals
Freestyle Final Medal Bouts: 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, 97kg - 18:00 hours

Day 5 - July 5, Sunday

Freestyle Qualification Rounds & Semifinals: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - 10:30 hours onwards
Freestyle Repechage Rounds: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - after semifinals
Freestyle Final Medal Bouts: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, 125kg - 18:00 hours

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