UWW

UWW Appoints Carlos Roy as Secretary General

Friday, January 21, 2022 - 11:05 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 21) -- United World Wrestling announced a significant change during a quarterly Bureau Meeting as Carlos ROY was appointed as the Secretary-General. The change is effective immediately.

The University of Lausanne graduate joined UWW in 2009. He worked closely with the previous Secretary-General on various aspects of the federation’s governance, with the responsibility of the board and Congress meetings, regulatory and institutional relations with member federations, as well as the coordination of the continental councils and the Commissions’ work.

"Carlos has served UWW with the utmost integrity and we congratulate him for the new role," Nenad LALOVIC, UWW President, said. "He has vast experience in governance, administration and international sports. I am confident that he will continue to help our sport grow with the new responsibility."

He was also in charge of the anti-doping program until UWW signed an agreement with the ITA in 2019 for the management of the anti-doping activities. He has been instrumental in organizing wrestling at the three Olympics -- London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

“I am honoured and grateful to the President and the Board for their confidence," Roy said. "I look forward to continuing the work of constant improvement of our sport and organization, together with my very talented colleagues."

Roy assumes the role after the resignation of Michel DUSSON who served UWW for over 35 years. His contribution to wrestling has been immense.

#development

South Africa Advances National Wrestling System with DNSS Phase 2

Thursday, April 9, 2026 - 07:25 By United World Wrestling Press

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PRETORIA, South Africa (April 8) -- South Africa has reached a decisive milestone in its long-term wrestling development strategy with the successful implementation of Phase 2 of the Development of National Sport System (DNSS) programme, delivered in collaboration with United World Wrestling (UWW) and supported by Olympic Solidarity.

Following the diagnostic and mapping phase conducted earlier, Phase 2 marks a clear transition from analysis to structured implementation, laying the foundation for a sustainable and internationally aligned wrestling system.

Led by UWW Development Officer Vincent AKA, in close cooperation with the South African Wrestling Federation (SAWF), the National Head Coach, Markus DEKKER and Provincial Coordinators, the programme was deployed across multiple provinces through a structured 10-day intervention from March 2 to 13. 

Activities were conducted in key locations including:

· LPWA (Ion Bachu)
· CGWA (Ruiter)
· NGWA (Menlo Park Hall)
· Frank Joubert Tournament (Menlo Park Hall)

This nationwide approach ensured direct engagement with provincial structures, strengthening alignment between national leadership and local associations while promoting inclusive development across the country.

From Talent Identification to System Building

Unlike traditional training camps, DNSS Phase 2 focused on identifying talent and building long-term development systems. Wrestlers and coaches from all age categories -- U13, U15, U17, U20, and Senior -- were actively involved, ensuring a complete pathway approach.

Provincial visits and stakeholder meetings played a key role in assessing facilities and operational structures, strengthening coordination between SAWF and provinces, and identifying emerging wrestlers.

Building Athlete Pipeline

A training camp for different provinces brought together wrestler to consolidate talent identified during Phase 1 and introduce standardized training methodologies.

The training camp included technical sessions, physical conditioning, match simulations and wrestling. The initiative contributed to the creation of an updated national prospect and the foundation of a structured athlete monitoring system.

South Africa

Beach Wrestling Gains Momentum

As part of the DNSS activities, a Beach Wrestling training session in Roodepoort highlighted the programme’s expanding impact.

During the visit, Aka led a specialized session, sharing advanced technical insights adapted to beach wrestling. It included stance and balance adjustments, grip and control techniques, and movement adaptation on sand.

The training programme comes at a crucial time, as South African athletes prepare for African Beach Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, Egypt and other international tournaments.