#kaspeuro2018

Seven of Eight Defending Freestyle Champions Return to European Championships

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - 23:24 By Eric Olanowski

Share this article

KASPIISK, Russia (April 19) - The 2018 European Championships commence in less than two weeks in Dagestan, Russia. Though line-ups are not official, freestyle preliminary line-ups have been submitted to United World Wrestling, and Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) is the lone champion who does not return from the 2017 Novi Sad European Championships.

The first five weight categories (57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg, and 97kg) begin wrestling on Friday, May 4, and the remaining five weight classes (61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg, and 125kg) start on Saturday, May 5. 

57kg
Mihran JABURYAN (ARM)
Giorgi EDISHERASHVILI (AZE)*
Uladzislau ANDREYEU (BLR)
Mikyay Salim NAIM (BUL)
Levan METREVELI VARTANOV (ESP)
Zoheir EL OUARRAQE (FRA)
Otari GOGAVA (GEO)
Yuriy HOLUB (ISR)
Ivan ZAMFIROV (MDA)
Vladimir EGOROV (MKD)
Andrei DUKOV (ROU)
Zavur UGUEV  (RUS)
Ahmet PEKER (TUR)

61kg
Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM)
Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE)
Niurhun SKRABIN (BLR)
Vladimir Vladimirov DUBOV (BUL)
Beka LOMTADZE (GEO)
Jozsef MOLNAR (HUN)
Viorel BURDUJA (MDA)
Elmedin SEJFULAU (MKD)
Ivan GUIDEA (ROU)
Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS)
Randy Adrian VOCK (SUI)
Recep TOPAL (TUR)

Three-time world champion, Haji ALIYEV (AZE). 

65kg
Valodya FRANGULYAN (ARM)
Gabriel JANATSCH (AUT)
Haji ALIYEV (AZE)
Dzianis MAKSIMAU (BLR)
Filip Stefanov NOVACHKOV (BUL)
Juan Pablo GONZALEZ CRESPO (ESP)
Ilman MUKHTAROV (FRA)
Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO)*
Kevin Christopher HENKEL (GER)
Roman ASHARIN (HUN)
Tomas BARACEVICIUS (LTU)
Andrei PERPELITA (MDA)
Masoud NIAZI (NED)
Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL)
Ilias BEKBULATOV (RUS)*
David HABAT (SLO)
Mykola BOLOTNJUK (SVK)
Selahattin KILICSALLAYAN (TUR)

70kg
Valter MARGARYAN (ARM)
Maximilian AUSSERLEITNER (AUT)
Murtazali Raxmatullayevic MUSLIMOV (AZE)
Azamat NURYKAU (BLR)
Miroslav Stefanov KIROV (BUL)
Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO)
Norbert LUKACS (HUN)
Emrach GASANOV (ISR)
Dmitrii MALENCOV (MDA)
Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL)
George BUCUR (ROU)
Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS)
Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)
Haydar YAVUZ (TUR)

Two-time world champion, Frank CHAMIZO (ITA). 

74kg
Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM)
Gadzhimurad OMAROV (AZE)
Andrei KARPACH (BLR)
Ali Pasha Ruslanovich UMARPASHAEV (BUL)
Zelimkhan KHADJIEV  (FRA)
Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO)
Kyrillos BINENMPAOUM (GRE)
Zsombor Istvan GULYAS (HUN)
Hanoc RACHAMIN (ISR)
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA)*
Alberts JURCENKO (LAT)
Andrius MAZEIKA (LTU)
Evgheni NEDEALCO (MDA)
Vasile Madalin MINZALA (ROU
Khetik TSABOLOV (RUS)
Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB)
Akhsarbek GULAEV (SVK)
Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)*

79kg
Varuzhan KAJOYAN (ARM)
Jabrayil HASANOV (AZE)
Ali SHABANAU (BLR)
Jevgeni SOLTRUK (EST)
Henri Aleksi SELENIUS (FIN)
Johnny Just BUR (FRA)
Jumber KVELASHVILI (GEO)
Martin OBST (GER)
Gkeorgki MELETOV (GRE)
Mihaly NAGY (HUN)
Alans AMIROVS (LAT)
Alexandru BURCA (MDA)
Akhmed Shiabdinovitch GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS)
Muhammet Nuri KOTANOGLU (TUR)

86kg
Marzpet GALSTYAN (ARM)
Aleksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE)
Raman CHYTADZE (BLR)
Mehmed Remzi GAZI (BUL)
Taimuraz FRIEV NASKIDAEVA (ESP)
Ville Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Sandro AMINASHVILI (GEO)
Ahmed Ruslanovic DUDAROV (GER)
Istvan VEREB  (HUN)
Shamil KUDIIAMAGOMEDOV (ITA)
Denis BALAUR (MDA)
Zbigniew Mateusz BARANOWSKI (POL)
Artur NAIFONOV (RUS)
Stefan REICHMUTH (SUI)
Boris MAKOEV (SVK)
Naib ILALDAYEV ITAYEV (SWE)
Fatih ERDIN (TUR)

Two-time world champion, Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS).

92kg
Shamir ATYAN (ARM)
Dominic Klaus PETER (AUT)
Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE)
Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR)
Irakli MTSITURI (GEO)
Georg Gabriel STARK (SEREGELYI) (GER)
Pavlo OLIINYK (HUN)
Edgaras VOITECHOVSKIS (LTU)
Nicolai CEBAN (MDA)
Boban SAVEV  (MKD)
Sebastian JEZIERZANSKI (POL)
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS)
Albin Viking FRID (SWE)
Serdar BOKE  (TUR)

97kg
Georgii KETOEV (ARM)
Nurmagomed GADZHIYEV (AZE)
Aliaksandr HUSHTYN (BLR)
Ragnar KAASIK (EST)
Elizbar ODIKADZE (GEO)
Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER)
Abraham de Jesus CONYEDO RUANO (ITA)
Georgy RUBAEV (MDA)
Magomedgadji Omardibirovich NUROV (MKD)
Vladislav BAITCAEV (RUS)
Riza YILDIRIM (TUR)*

2017 world champion, Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). 

125kg
Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM)
Johannes LUDESCHER (AUT)
Jamaladdin MAGOMEDOV (AZE)
Ibrahim SAIDAU (BLR)
Jose CUBA VAZQUEZ (ESP)
Jere Tapani HEINO (FIN)
Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO)
Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA)
Robert BARAN (POL)
Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS)
Taha AKGUL (TUR)*

* Notes returning champions

UWW Lifts Restrictions on Belarus, Russia Wrestlers

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

Share this article

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.