Obituary

U.S. Greco-Roman star Alan Vera passes away

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 - 07:21 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 24) -- United States Greco-Roman wrestler and Pan-Am champion Alan VERA (USA) passed away Monday. Vera suffered a sudden cardiac arrest earlier this year and had been hospitalized since then in recovery from his serious health challenges.

Vera was born in Cuba and won a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games and a gold medal at the 2016 Pan American Championships, while competing for Cuba. He immigrated to the United States and lived in Florida for a number of years. He continued to train and compete in Greco-Roman and various international events for a few years.

Vera qualified the U.S. for the Paris Olympics in 97kg at the 2024 Pan-American Olympic Qualification Tournament in Acapulco, Mexico.

Very saddened to hear about Alan Vera’s passing. In my limited time around him he was always willing to help on the mat, and offer a laugh at a terrible joke I made

— Kyle Dake (@kyledake444) September 24, 2024
 

Domestically, Vera claimed his first U.S. national title in 2020, and won four national titles during his career.

Vera was married to Elena PIROZKHOVA (USA), a two-time Olympian and former world champion.

United World Wrestling mourns the death of Vera and stands with the Vera family.

UWW updates competition guidelines for Russia, Belarus wrestlers

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - 09:06 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 27) -- United World Wrestling will allow wrestlers from Russia and Belarus to compete under their respective national flags up to the U23 age level.

The decision follows a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee that youth athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports should no longer face restrictions on participation in sports events, both individual and team.

The UWW Bureau met last week to discuss the same and decided to implement the IOC recommendation at the U15, U17, U20 and U23 levels.

Russian and Belarusian wrestlers will now compete under their national flags and country initials, “RUS” and “BLR,” respectively. National anthems of both countries will be played at medal ceremonies at UWW events if their wrestlers win gold medals or if a team wins the team championship.

All other standard UWW protocols will be followed at competitions in accordance with international wrestling rules.

Russia

Last year, UWW had updated its criteria for eligible wrestlers and staff from the two countries, allowing them to participate under UWW flag at all competitions.

Despite the updated recommendations, both the IOC and UWW stress that all athletes and their support staff must continue to uphold the Olympic Movement’s mission of promoting unity and peace.

The latest IOC guidance means the March 2023 recommendations regarding Russia and Belarus are no longer mandatory for youth events.

However, the IOC maintains that no government officials from Russia or Belarus should be accredited or invited to international sports events or meetings for either senior or youth competitions.

It also said that International Federations should refrain from organizing or supporting international sports events in Russia, while this recommendation no longer applies to Belarus.