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UWW partners with FFL to announce INSEP as high-performance center

Friday, September 2, 2022 - 07:42 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 2) -- As the buzz for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris gathers momentum, the United World Wrestling (UWW) has entered into a partnership with the French wrestling federation (FFL), the country's National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance -- commonly known as INSEP -- in a bid to grow wrestling in France, assist Francophone athletes and open the doors to world-class training facilities to wrestlers from across the globe.

As per the tri-partite agreement, the INSEP national wrestling network of training centers of Paris, Dijon and Font Romeu will be designated as a UWW World Wrestling Center.

This will enable the centers to hold training camps for selected elite wrestlers, conduct education courses for wrestling coaches, and organize knowledge-sharing activities (e.g. seminars, educational sessions, coach exchanges) that assist referees and coaches in ways that enhance world-class athlete preparation systems as well as ensure experience sharing in particular for female sport. It will also enable them to take active leadership in world wrestling regarding best-practice athlete pathway management.

This will also help the French federation to welcome as many foreign countries as possible to the center to be able to find training partners for the wrestlers. Currently, 26 French wrestlers train at INSEP in the three Olympic styles.

Nenad LALOVICUWW President Nenad LALOVIC at INSEP in Paris. (Photo: INSEP / Isabelle AMAUDRY)

Nenad Lalovic, President of the UWW, Lionel Lacaze, President of the FFL and Fabien Canu, Director of INSEP were present on the occasion.

“INSEP is a well renowned high-performance center worldwide and today we are delighted to sign this agreement to further strengthen our sport in France and abroad," Lalovic said.

INSEP was created in 1975 under the name, the National Institute of Sport and Physical Education. Over the years, it has grown into one of the world’s foremost Olympic training centers.

Spread over 28 hectares, it is home to almost 800 athletes in 27 Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, including wrestling. 

INSEP not only has a state-of-the-art training facility but also provides technical and scientific expertise with genuine respect for the athletes. INSEP is the ideal training center for elite athletes in view of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

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In Southeast Asia, boost in referee numbers

Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 05:51 By United World Wrestling Press

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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.”