Development

Sudan Engages with Development of the National Sports System in Wrestling

By Tim Foley

DARFOUR (May 14) --  For hundreds of years wrestling in Sudan served to build ties between tribes, but today the sport is growing into Olympic territory with the implementation of United World Wrestling and Olympic Solidarity’s implementation of the Development National Sports System (DNSS) program.

The program’s launch took place this May in Khartoum with the visit of Vincent AKA, development officer for Africa who worked with local organizers to conduct the first steps of the DNSS.

Wrestlers from Sudan had recently been motivated to join the sport's global community after the UWW educator Nico Coetzee, conducted a Level One coaching course in the country in 2016

After the recent developments the Sudanese National Olympic Committee on April 22 offered it’s backing for the creation and to support of the wrestling federation through Olympic Solidarity.

The DNSS has three important phases, which will be implemented on the following dates:

Phase 1 (April 22-29)-: Assessment and implementation of Program Implantation of the DNSS. Training camp-talent identification and assessment included eight coaches and thirty athletes. Also, for the first time in Sudan, there was support for women’s wrestling.

Phase 2 (June 18-24): Intermediary evaluation-follow up and recommendations. Evaluation of the senior-level wrestlers and the start of the training camp and talent identification for Juniors and Cadets

Phase 3 (June 23-29): Final evaluation and recommendations of the best Cadets and Juniors, followed by a joint camp for all age groups.

 

#WrestleZagreb

Wednesday night's women's wrestling semifinals set

By Eric Olanowski

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 19) -- The third day of the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Women's wrestling will kick off with 50kg, 55kg, 59kg, 68kg and 76kg wrestlers taking the mat.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

FULL EUROPEAN C'SHIP SCHEDULE:
- 11:30 -
Qualification rounds
- 16:45 - Semifinals
- 18:00 - Finals

Wednesday semifinal matchups:

50kg
Oksana LIVACH (UKR) vs. Miglena Georgieva SELISHKA (BUL) 
Anna LUKASIAK (POL) vs. Mariya STADNIK (AZE) 

55kg
Katarzyna KRAWCZYK (POL) vs. Andreea Beatrice ANA (ROU) 
Annika WENDLE (GER) vs. Erika BOGNAR (HUN) 

59kg
Yuliia TKACH (UKR) vs. Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE) 
Anastasia NICHITA (MDA)  vs. Eda TEKIN (TUR) 

68kg
Alla BELINSKA (UKR) vs. Winner 217
Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) vs. Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL) 

76kg
Martina KUENZ (AUT) vs. Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA) 
Yasemin ADAR (TUR) vs. Anastasiia OSNIACH (UKR) 

13:28: The morning session is rolling by. We only have five matches left and the session is done. The semifinal matches are listed above as they come in.

13:08: There's the upset of the day. Cynthia Vanessa VESCAN (FRA) just upset European champion Epp MAE (EST), 3-2, setting up a semifinal match against Martina KUENZ (AUT).

12:58: That was quick. Adar only needed 75 seconds to pick up the 10-0 win over Axente. She'll meet the winner of Agoro PAPAVASILEIOU (GRE)  Anastasiia OSNIACH (UKR) 

12:53: Mariya STADNIK (AZE) picked up her second win of the day, a 9-3 victory over Julie Martine SABATIE (FRA), but it wasn't in normal form. She didn't dominate and looked a little gassed after the bout.

Either way, she reached the semifinals, where she'll meet 2022 world bronze medalist Lukasiak.

12:37: World bronze medalist Anna LUKASIAK (POL) is on deck on Mat A. She'll wrestle Gabija DILYTE (LTU) for a spot in the 50kg semifinals. 

12:35: Yasemin ADAR (TUR) kicks off her quest for a sixth European title in three matches on Mat B. She'll wrestle Catalina AXENTE (ROU). This'll be the first meeting of their careers.

12:22: That's a statement win from Yuliana Vasileva YANEVA (BUL). She just 10-0 blanked U23 world and European champion Nesrin BAS (TUR).

Turkiye is off to a rough start today. They've had two matches, with both ending in technical superiorty losses.

11:55: Four-time Olympic medalist Mariya STADNIK (AZE) returns to the European Championships and marks it with a 14-4 win over defending champion Evin DEMIRHAN (TUR). Stadnik is gunning for her eighth Euro gold medal.

11:30: Welcome to day three of the European Championships here in Zagreb. After the repechage rounds of freestyle, we jump right into the women's wrestling.