#WrestleParis

UWW reallocates 16 Olympic Games Paris 2024 quotas

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 27) -- United World Wrestling has reallocated 16 wrestling quotas for Paris 2024. This decision was taken after the International Olympic Committee, last week, released a list of eligible athletes in the first group of sports that have finished their qualifying process for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The IOC had approved 16 out of the 26 Individual Neutral Athletes who won the Paris Olympic spots in various qualifying tournaments of UWW. However, six wrestlers did not accept the invitation to Paris 2024 despite being deemed eligible by the IOC.

The 16 reallocations were carried out by UWW to the next highest-ranked eligible NOC, not yet qualified, at the event at which the quota place was obtained, respecting the maximum quota per gender and per NOC.

The NOCs must confirm the reallocated quotas respecting the deadlines imposed by United World Wrestling.

List of Paris 2024 quotas reallocations

Freestyle
57kg - North Macedonia (Baku)
74kg - China (Belgrade)
74kg - Italy (Baku)
97kg - Ukraine (Baku)
97kg - Moldova (Baku)
125kg - Poland (Baku)

Greco-Roman
60kg - Romania (Istanbul)
77kg - United States (Istanbul)
87kg - Georgia (Istanbul)
130kg - Bulgaria (Baku)
130kg - Estonia (Istanbul)

Women's Wrestling
50kg - Lithuania (Baku)
53kg - Greece (Belgrade)
57kg - Ukraine (Baku)
57kg - Mongolia (Istanbul)
62kg - Sweden (Istanbul)

In Freestyle, the 57kg reallocation went to North Macedonia as Vladimir EGOROV (MKD). He finished as the highest-ranked wrestler after the quota winners at the European Olympic Qualifier in Baku.

Two 74kg quotas were reallocated. The spot from the World Championships in Belgrade was awarded to China as Feng LU (CHN) was the best-ranked non-qualified wrestler. Originally, Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) finished as the best-ranked wrestler but he qualified Azerbaijan from Baku hence making him ineligible for the reallocation.

The second reallocation was for the Baku quota after an approved wrestler did not accept the invitation. The Baku spot will now go to Italy.

Similarly, there were two reallocations at 97kg, both from Baku. Ukraine and Moldova got the Paris 2024 spots from the European OG Qualifier. Ukraine got the spot despite Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL) being the next best-ranked wrestler in Baku because the Polish wrestler qualified his country in Istanbul. The next best after Ukraine was Moldova which will have an Olympian in Freestyle for the first time in eight years. Moldova was the beneficiary of a declined invitation from an approved wrestler at this weight class.

At 125kg, Poland was awarded the reallocation quota from the European OG Qualifier in Baku.

Greco-Roman saw the reallocations awarded to Romania at 60kg, the United States at 77kg, Georgia at 87kg , and Bulgaria and Estonia at 130kg.

Romania, the United States and Georgia finished the best-ranked wrestlers after the qualified wrestlers at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul while the 130kg quota to Bulgaria was reallocated from Baku. Azerbaijan and Romania were the next best wrestlers in Baku but both NOCs qualified the weight class in Istanbul, leaving Bulgaria getting the spot.

The second 130kg was reallocated from Istanbul with Estonia being the next best non-qualified NOC at the event after an approved wrestler declined the invitation.

Women's Wrestling saw five Paris 2024 spots being reallocated. Lithuania, Greece, Ukraine, Mongolia and Sweden were the beneficiaries of the reallocations.

Lithuania is set to send its first-ever wrestler in Women's Wrestling after it got the allocation at 50kg from the European OG Qualifier in Baku. Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER) finished third in Baku but she qualified Germany from Istanbul, and the Baku quota was transferred to Lithuania.

The 53kg reallocation was from the Belgrade World Championships after an approved wrestler did not accept the invitation. The quota will now go to Greece as it had the next-best wrestler at the event after the quota-winning wrestlers.

Two 57kg quotas were reallocated, one each from Baku and Istanbul. Ukraine received the 57kg quota from Baku after Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) finished third at the European OG Qualifier in Baku. The second reallocated quota at 57kg went to Mongolia after an approved wrestler did not accept the invitation to participate in the Paris Games despite being deemed eligible by the IOC.

Mongolia had the best wrestler at 57kg in Istanbul and with this reallocation, it will become the third country, after Japan and the United States, to qualify in all six weight classes of Women's Wrestling for Paris 2024.

At 62kg, Sweden will now have two wrestlers in women's wrestling after it received a quota reallocated from Istanbul. Sweden was the best NOC after the qualified wrestlers at the World Olympic Qualifier. The country already has a spot at 53kg from the World Championships.

The deadline for the AINs to accept the invitation for Paris 2024 was June 20 after which UWW proceeded with the reallocations. The AINs who have accepted the invitation have agreed to the Conditions of Participation applicable to all participants that contain a commitment to respect the Olympic Charter, including “the peace mission of the Olympic Movement”.

The following are the eligible AINs who accepted the invitation to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024:

Wrestlers with a Russian passport:

Freestyle
Nachin MONGUSH
Shamil MAMEDOV
Arslan BAGAEV
Abdulla KURBANOV

Greco-Roman
Alan OSTAEV
Magomed MURTAZALIEV

Women's Wrestling
Natalya MALYSHEVA
Alina KASABIEVA
Elizaveta PETLIAKOVA

Wrestlers with a Belarusian passport

Greco-Roman
Abubakar KHASLAKHANAU

#WrestleParis

Lopez announces comeback, eyes historic fifth Olympic gold

By Eric Olanowski

POREC, Croatia (May 23) -- The rumors are in the rearview and it’s official.

Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), the Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympic champion, officially announced his return to wrestling to chase a record-setting fifth Olympic gold medal.

The Cuban superheavy is widely regarded as the Greatest of all Time, but he’s not interested in sharing a page in the history books with anyone else. He wants all the glory for himself.

"I’m coming back to wrestle at the Paris Olympic Games. I want to become the first wrestler to win five Olympic gold medals,” Lopez told United World Wrestling on Monday night.

Lopez, flanked by fellow Tokyo Olympic champions Luis ORTA (CUB) and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR), made the announcement from the international training camp in Poreč, Croatia, where he’s beginning his Paris preparations.

Lopez, who’ll be 41 years old this August, hung up his wrestling boots shortly after he won his fourth Olympic gold medal. But “The Kid” has since rekindled his desire to stand alone in wrestling history. He’s currently tied with Kaori ICHO (JPN) (who officially retired in 2020) as the only pair of wrestlers to win four Olympic titles.

A win for Lopez in Paris would also move him into the top spot as wrestling’s oldest Olympic champion -- dethroning Adolf LINDFORS (FIN) (41 years 6 months 12 days), Arsen MEKOKISHVILI (URS) (40 years 3 months 11 days) and Icho (32 years 2 months 4 days) --who hold the Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s wrestling records, respectively.

The Cuban Giant will wrestle on August 6 at the 2024 Olympic Games and will be two weeks shy of his 42nd birthday, which would beat Lindfors’ record by nearly six months.

Lopez’s attention now turns to getting his massive body back down to the Olympic weight of 130kg/286 lbs.

“Right now, he has to focus on getting his weight under control, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” a source close to Lopez said. “He currently weighs 145kg/319 lbs. That seems like a big weight cut, but his body was in the same position heading into the Tokyo Olympics and he outscored everyone 24-0.”

For the time being, as Lopez gets his weight under control, Oscar PINO (CUB) will remain Cuba’s 130kg Greco-Roman starter.

Pino will compete at the 2023 World Championships, where he’ll have to qualify Cuba for the 2024 Olympic Games -- similar to the 2019 World Championships where he qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games with his runner-up finish. He’ll again relinquish his spot and take a seat on the bench as Lopez chases Olympic history.

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