#WrestleTirana

Tirana to host 2023 U23 World Championships

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 15) -- United World Wrestling has decided to reallocate the 2023 U23 World Championships to Tirana, Albania. The event was originally scheduled to be held in Tampere, Finland.

The World Championships in Tirana will run from October 23 to 29, 2023 with Freestyle kicking off the competition followed by Women's Wrestling and Greco-Roman. The deadline for the entries has been set for October 5, 2023.

Albanian Wrestling Federation hosted the 2023 U17 European Championships and was the best among the candidacies received by UWW.

UWW acknowledges the inconvenience these changes may cause the National Federations. UWW wants to emphasize that all the decisions made were centered around the well-being of the athletes and their opportunity to participate in wrestling events worldwide. It also appreciates the understanding and cooperation during this transition.

NFs are requested to contact UWW for further questions or assistance.

#WrestleBaku

Sadulaev ruled ineligible to compete by UWW panel

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 4) -- Abdulrashid SADULAEV has been ruled out of the European OG Qualifiers in Baku after he failed to meet the eligibility criteria set by the International Olympic Committee for Individual Neutral Athletes.

The two-time Olympic champion was ruled ineligible by the United World Wrestling Eligibility panel. This third-party panel continuously monitors the eligibility of wrestlers based on the criteria defined by the IOC.

Sadulaev was declared ineligible after the panel found new information about his support of the Ukraine-Russia war and that he is still officially declared a member of the Dynamo club.

Each Individual Neutral Athlete goes through a rigorous vetting process by UWW in preparation for any tournament and is examined based on the criteria set by the IOC which rules thorough background and social media checks of individuals from Russia and Belarus.

The decisions regarding eligibility were made by a panel, relying on comprehensive vetting reports provided by an independent and private intelligence service provider.

The wrestlers who were deemed eligible will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, without any flags or references to their respective countries. Additionally, the national anthems of Russia and Belarus will not be played in the event of medals being awarded to these athletes.