#UnitedWorldWrestling

UWW President Lalovic conferred Order of Dostyk by Kazakhstan

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 26) -- United World Wrestling President Nenad LALOVIC was conferred the Order of Dostyk of the second degree by Kazakhstan President Kassaym Jomart TOKAYEV for his contribution to the development of wrestling in Kazakhstan.

The Order of Dostyk of second degree is one of the state awards of Kazakhstan which it confers foreign nationals for their efforts in peace, friendship and cooperation between people.

Lalovic was in the country in second week of February and visited various sports facilities including the under-construction National Sports University in Astana.

"I am glad to visit Astana again," Lalovic was quoted as saying by Kazakhstan media. "Your city is becoming more beautiful and modern. Today, I got acquainted with the new sports infrastructure, surveyed several facilities that have made sports an integral part of the urban environment. Sports complexes are built at a high level, providing comfort for both athletes and fans. Each of them is capable of hosting international competitions."

Highlighting the key role wrestling plays in enhancing the country’s stance on the international arena, Tokayev hailed the achievements of Kazakhstan wrestlers following their successful performance at major world competitions.

Kazakhstan won its first-ever Freestyle gold medal at senior World Championships in 2023 when Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) won at 92kg. Last year, Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) won gold at 70kg in Tirana to become the second world champion from the country.

In Greco-Roman, it has five gold medals from three wrestlers while in Women's Wrestling, it has no gold but multiple silver medalists.

#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.”