UWW Live

UWW LIVE: RISAKO KAWAI (JPN), Olympic Gold Medalist & Three-Time World Champ

By Eric Olanowski

Kawai heads into the Toyko Olympics as arguably the top women's wrestler in the world. She joined Eric Olanowski to talk about winning gold at the Rio Olympic Games, followed by three consecutive world titles.

Kawai also opened up about her pair of victories over four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO ? to make Japan's '19 world team and a potential matchup with fellow Olympic champion, Helen MAROULI (USA).

#WrestleBelgrade

Explainer: How do wrestlers qualify for the Paris Olympic Games?

By Eric Olanowski

BELGRADE, Serbia (September 4) --- The path to Paris for 288 athletes will be a three stage process to determine who will wrestle for Olympic glory.

The first phase will take place in Belgrade, Serbia, at the 2023 World Championships, September 16-24th, where five quotas for the each of the 18 Olympic categories—a total of 90 quotas—will be allocated.

Wrestlers who earn a gold, silver or bronze will earn a bid. Additionally, the losers of the bronze-medal matches will wrestle in true fifth match, determining the fifth allocation in Belgrade.

Phase two is the continental qualification phase where 144 quotas handed out at the:
- Pan American Olympic Qualifier (Acapulco, Mexico, March 1-3)
- African Olympic Qualifier (Alexandria, Egypt, March 22-24)
- European Olympic Qualifier (Baku, Azerbaijan, April 4-7)
- Asian Olympic Qualifier (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, April 19-21)

The first and second place finishers at the Continental Olympic Qualifier earn an automatic bid to the Paris Olympics for their nation. 

The final stage for the Paris Olympic qualifying process comes down to Istanbul, Türkiye, for the Last Chance Qualifier, where the final 54 tickets will be booked. The gold and silver medalists and the winner of a true third match will punch their ticket to the Olympics.

Follow all the action from the World Championships, Continental Olympic Qualifiers and the Last Chance Qualifier, live on UWW+ or on, “The Home Of Wrestling,” UWW’s app.