#WrestleParis

UWW announces hosts for 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 27) -- United World Wrestling on Tuesday announced the hosts for the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers.

After a UWW Bureau meeting, the dates for the four Continental Olympic Qualifiers and the World Olympic Qualifier for the 2024 Games were unveiled.

The Pan-American Olympic Games Qualifier will kick off the qualifying cycle next year. The first continental qualifier will be hosted in Acapulco, Mexico. The tournament will be preceded by the Pan-American Championships which will be held at the same venue.

Next, the African & Oceania Olympic Games Qualifier will be held in Alexandria, Egypt followed by the European Olympic Games Qualifier which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan will witness the Asian Olympic Games Qualifier preceded by the Asian Championships at the same venue.

The final tournament that offers quotas for the Paris Games, known as the World Olympic Qualifier, will take place in Istanbul, Turkiye.

The qualifying events for the Paris Games begin with the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, scheduled for September and it will offer 90 quotas, five in each Olympic weight class.

Each of the four continental qualifiers will offer 36 quotas, totaling 144 quotas. The World Olympic Qualifier, to be held in Istanbul, will have 54 places available for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The dates for the four continental Olympic Games qualifiers and the World Olympic Games Qualifier will be announced at a later stage.

#BeachWrestling

Sakurai swaps mat for sand, wins Beach Wrestling gold

By Vinay Siwach

TOKYO (May 13) -- Paris Olympic champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) made a return to competition for the first time since August last year. However, it was not on the mat.

Sakurai, who won gold medal at 57kg in Paris, returned to compete in beach wrestling. She wrestled at the Japan Beach Wrestling National Team Qualifying Tournament held in Tachikawa, Tokyo on Sunday and won gold at 60kg

"It may sound strange for me to say it, but I felt that I was suited to it," Sakurai was quoted by Japan Olympic Committee.

Sakurai, who is not entered for the June 19-22 Meiji Cup, Japan's qualifying tournament for the World Championships in September, is now qualified to compete for Japan in Beach Wrestling this year.

"Since I am qualified for the international tournament, I will try to participate," she said. "I want to be number one. I'll practice on the sandy beaches of Kochi [Prefecture]."

The three-time world champion, however, did not rule out the possibility of returning to the mat soon.

"I am still practicing on the mat and when I feel like I am ready, I will be back on the mat," she said.