Development

UWW Hosts First Regional Educational Development Tournament

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 12:31 By United World Wrestling Press

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PRETORIA, South Africa (December 7) -- United World Wrestling's Development Department conducted the first-ever Regional Educational Development Tournament (REDT) in South Africa.

This event was hosted in collaboration with the South Africa Wrestling Federation. The REDT is a regional course and tournament centered around training and educating the coaches and referees. At the conclusion of the courses, there is a scheduled tournament to provide opportunities for countries in the region to compete in international competitions.

The INTUTHUKO Development Week in South Africa was conducted from November 26 to December 1. This event included participants from South Africa, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Angola.

“It was a great experience seeing many coaches and referees attending the Level 2 clinic," SAWF President Sakkie Bosse said. "The UWW instructors were very professional in the way they conducted the clinic and every assignment was presented with great expertise and professionalism. The coaches and referees received information which they could apply in their wrestling career."

UWW Development Director Deqa Niamkey added that despite the challenge of COVID-19, the team made sure it becomes a success.

“Despite the current world challenges with the rising of COVID-19 cases, the wrestling family stays strong and is striving to continue the development of the sport. We thank the South African Wrestling and all those who participated. We will renew the event once the situation is cleared as this program showed tremendous success for the developing wrestling nations," Niamkey said.

From November 26-30, a Level 2 Coaching Course was conducted by Vincent Aka and Zach Errett. This course included working with 17 coaches and focused on the development of practice plans.

“Thank you, it was very educational,” said Zumicka Geringer (RSA).

"We promise that we are going to use all that we learn here and show our capacity as a coach trained by the best educators Vincent Aka and Zach Errett,” said Celstino Chicago (ANG).

From November 28-30, Charles Villet and Stanislav Sernek piloted a non-certification referee course (Next Level). This course included 19 referees working to improve their skills and knowledge.

During the final day of both courses, the referees and coaches worked together. Both groups were able to learn from each other and see the value in working together. The referees and coaches also completed training on Athlete Safeguarding, regarding the role that both play in keeping athletes safe and free from abuse.

“The UWW instructors Zach Errett, Vincent Aka and Charles Villet, were very professional and highly skilled in the subjects they presented," Bosse said. "Thank you to the three of them. South African Wrestling Federation appreciates the effort they put into the Level 2 clinic. Thank you to the organizing committee of South African Wrestling Federation for hosting the event in a professional manner."

The INTUTHUKO was scheduled to end with a small regional competition. However, due to COVID-19, the competition had to be canceled at the last minute.

For more information on REDT events in the future, visit www.uww.org.

2026 World Championships

Yazdani Interview: 'Changing Weight Classes Difficult, But Ready for 97kg Challenge'

Saturday, June 20, 2026 - 06:27 By

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- By Amirreza ALIASGARI

KEMRAN, Iran (July 19) -- Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) made his eighth World Championships for Iran on Friday after beating Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI), 4-2 and 5-3, in two straight matches at 97kg.

In 2015, Yazdani was at 70kg and won a silver medal at his debut World Championships. For a decade, he spent his wrestling career at 86kg, winning two Olympic silver medals, three world titles, two world silver and one bronze medal.

Now at 97kg after two shoulder surgeries, a 31-year-old Yazdani is adjusting to the new weight class. As he returns to the World Championships after three years, Yazdani will be chasing his eighth medal and fourth title.

After making the Iran team for the World Championships, to be held in Astana from October 24 to November 1, Yazdani spoke to United World Wrestling about the challenges of 97kg, returning to the World Championships and how his body is holding up.

Excerpts:

- How are you feeling physically after the two tough matches?

Yazdani: I’ve improved in some areas, especially when it comes to my breathing and conditioning. But we didn’t really have enough time to focus on strength training, so we worked on that a bit less than we wanted to. With the time that’s left until the World Championships, I’m going to do everything I can to get myself in the best shape possible and be even better prepared.

- How prepared were you for the wrestle-off against Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)?

Yazdani: For these competitions, I’d say I was about 70 percent ready. It’s hard to be 100 precent prepared for a tournament like this, but by the time the World Championships come around, I’ll definitely be in better shape and more prepared.

- What are your thoughts on competing at 97kg, a weight class that may have four Olympic champions in Astana?

Yazdani: The 97kg weight class is new for me, and of course I have new opponents now. It’s quite different from 86kg. I hope I can put on a good performance in this weight class as well. There are a lot of great champions here, and I hope I get the chance to wrestle against them, challenge myself, and show my best wrestling at the World Championships.

- But will it be challenging for your to be at the top at this weight class?

Yazdani: I already knew how many top wrestlers compete in this weight class. Considering my physical condition, I decided last year to move up to 97kg. Since it’s also an Olympic weight class, I wanted to make the move early so I’d have enough time to fix any weaknesses and adapt before the Olympics. My goal is to be at my very best for both the Olympics and the World Championships, which are just as important.

I wanted to move up sooner so I could get comfortable in this weight class as quickly as possible. Once you get to around 30 years old, things naturally become a little more difficult, and changing weight classes isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are definitely challenges at 97kg, and I’ve thought about all of them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put on my best performance and come away with a great result.