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.

 

Obituary

Olympic champion Mustafa Dagistanli passes away

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (September 20) -- Two-time Olympic champion and member of the United Wrestling Hall of Fame Mustafa DAGESTANLI (TUR) passed away on Monday. He was 91 years old.

Born in 1931 in Soguroinar village of Carsamba, Turkey, Dagistanli won gold medals at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. He was also a three-time world champion with gold medals in 1954, 1957 and 1959.

In the 1956 Melbourne Games, Dagistanli won gold in the 56kg weight class. Four years later in Rome, he jumped up to 62kg and finished on the top of the podium.

Dagistanli made his debut for Turkey in 1953 but quickly became one of the most dominant wrestlers in the world and won the first world title in Tokyo in 1954.
 
In his 320 recorded bouts in Turkey, Dagistanli won 319 out of 320 bouts and 70 out of 73 at the international level. The achievement puts him among the best wrestlers walking on the planet during his active days.

After his retirement, he worked as a coach and was part of the Turkish Wrestling Federation. He also served in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as the Samsun Deputy of the Justice Party for two terms between 1973-1980 and received the State Distinguished Service Medal.