#SportsDepartment

UWW Hosts Event Organization Workshop in Italy

By United World Wrestling Press

ROME, Italy (August 5th) – In continuation of United World Wrestling’s first Event Organization Workshop held in Panama City (21-24/01/2022) for the Americas, Italy hosted a similar workshop at the U17 Rome World Championships (22-25/07/2022). The workshop, which the UWW Sports Department conducted, was held to assist in educating the host cities for the upcoming World Championships, World Cups, and European and Asian Championships.  

United World Wrestling’s objective is to acknowledge tools and get a deep comprehension of the UWW Event Organization. This objective will help increase the quality of our competition's delivery and continue to ensure wrestling’s growth.

During the workshop, discussion topics included: the benefits of organizing an event, planning, bidding process, and functional areas, among many others. 

One differentiation from the workshop in Panama to the one held in Italy was the walk-through of the venue where the U17 World Championships were held.  

Also, one of the objectives is to encourage discussion among host NFs and share their experiences, especially with those that will host future events.

ITA
Participants from the Event Organization Workshop pose for a picture at the Palla Pellicone, the arena where the U17 World Championships were held. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

In addition to the arena work through and workshop, the participants had the chance to speak with the different commissions that were working at the event. These activities helped make the workshop more useful for all participants. 

Following the workshop's conclusion, participants completed a short survey, providing valuable feedback that’ll be utilized in the planning of UWW’s next Event Organization Workshop editions.  

 "I liked the positive energy of everyone who participated in the seminar. I also appreciated the group's interest and the instructor's willingness to help," one participant said. 

Thanks to the participant's experience, the open dialogues generated during the sessions benefited everyone. They showed different points of view while opening diverse discussions that will help in the decision-making process and organization of upcoming events.

#development

In Southeast Asia, boost in referee numbers

By United World Wrestling Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (May 25) -- In a bid to improve the skills of referees in the region, an Introduction to Refereeing course was hosted by the Cambodian Wrestling Federation prior to the South East Asian Games.

The course was conducted between May 8-12 and organized by the President of Southeast Asia and Vice President of CWF Casey BARNETT.

Conducted by United World Wrestling Educator and IS Olympic referee Ashok KUMAR (IND), the course allowed referees from Southeast Asia to improve their skills prior to being evaluated at SEA Games for a potential UWW referee license.

There were 17 participants that took part in the course. This included referees from Cambodia, Indonesia, and Ukraine.

“Most of the candidates were young referees in their twenties. They were extremely enthusiastic and excited to learn about referee skills," Kumar said.

During the course, participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee. The areas covered during the course included: the safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout.

The five-day course gave the participants extra practice because of the limited wrestling activities in the region.

Cambodia

Each day, they conducted theoretical sessions in the morning at the CamEd International Business School. Then in the afternoon, the participants had practical sessions at the training hall.

"The extra practice and longer course were perfect for the candidates. This was evident with the amount of improvement they showed on the final day of the course,” Kumar added.

At the conclusion of the course, the referee candidates completed the UWW Level 1 course and practical during the SEA Games. With their performance, they hope to see an increase in the number of UWW-licensed referees.

“The training course was a wonderful success with the excellent class instruction of Kumar and the amazing mentoring and supervision of Jang. The skills developed by our referees will make a long-lasting impact on the sport of wrestling in Southeast Asia by improving the standard of refereeing and competitions in the region," Barnett said.

Even the participants of the course expressed their satisfaction and hailed the course as transformative.

"Throughout the SEA Games in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to participate in Referee Training Course which was educated by an expert educator from UWW. I used to doubt and ask myself if I can make it or not. As a result [of the course], I was able to successfully achieve it,” Huy LYSIENG, a Cambodian referee, said.

Another referee added that the emphasis was put on the right areas and the course will help them perform their duty in the right manner. 

“I particularly enjoyed the structure of the course," Mykyta SHYMKO, a referee from Ukraine, said. "It managed to strike a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, allowing us not only to understand the rules of wrestling but also to apply them in practice. It was also wonderful to see that you placed special emphasis on ethics and fairness in refereeing, making our sessions even more valuable.”