UWW Minute

UWW Minute: Cuba's Ismael Borrero

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 21) -- Olympic champion and two-time world champion Ismael Borrero has had a newsworthy few months.

The Cuban Greco-Roman star won the Pan Am Championships March 6th, which earned him valuable Ranking Series points and secured him the top seed at 67kg for Tokyo 2021. The Cuban ,who won the 2016 Games at 59kg, talked about the importance of concentration no matter the level of the competition.

"Sometimes there are lesser opponents, but it's never easy. You have to compete hard every time," said Borrero. "I hope for victory and channel everything I feel inside to action on the mat."

In April, Borrero announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was largely asymptomatic and has since recovered. The defending world champion is now testing negative and is back at home.

"My success, my career are built on faith, courage, and perseverance," he said. "Always those things."

#development

Tunisia Conducts Coach and Referee Courses

By United World Wrestling Press

Tunis, Tunisia (12 February)—The Tunisian Wrestling Federation organized two courses to help expand and improve its base of coaches and referees. During a week-long education program, they conducted a Level 1 Coaching Course and an Introduction to Refereeing Course.

The Level 1 Coaching Course was led by UWW Certified Educators Mr. Ahmed KHEDHRI (TUN) and Ms. Marwa AMRI (TUN).

The course was held from February 7-11 with over 50 participants. “It was a great course and an outstanding atmosphere. The group was very cohesive and showed great discipline and seriousness during the course,” said Mr. Khedhri.

"This course focused on providing foundational skills to help them develop as a coach. Of the 51 participants, there were 16 women coaches,“ said Ms. Amri. "This was an excellent course and a very good atmosphere. The women’s participation was very good and included former champions.” 

TUNParticipants from the Coach and Referee Courses in Tunisia gather for a photo. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Before the coaching course, the Tunisian Wrestling Federation organized the Introduction to Refereeing Course.

This was led by Mr. Kamel BOUAZIZ (TUN), UWW Educator and Vice-President of the UWW Referee Commission. This course was held from February 3-5 and had 27 participants (14 women).

During the course, the participants developed their skills as a referee through theoretical and practical experience.

“The majority of the participants were from the Tunisian National Team, so the level of wrestling knowledge was very high," said Mr. Bouaziz. "The group was enthusiastic, and the learning atmosphere was very good. They pushed me to give them as much information and explanations as possible.”