Development

Wrestling Delivers Referee Courses in DPR-Korea and China

Monday, June 4, 2018 - 12:38 By Tim Foley

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (June 4) – United World Wrestling, under the expertise of Prof. Dr. Halil Ibrahim CICIOGLU - 1s-ranked referee and member of the Referee Commission - held a series of courses this month in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China.

The courses were part of the “Referee Education Pathway” a program started last year as an effort to educate and develop future generations of referees worldwide.

“I had an excellent educational opportunity in the DPRK and China,” said Mr. Cicioglu. “I was very happy to serve the people who wanted to improve the sport of wrestling in their countries and was impressed with their excitement to learn. We look forward to seeing more of these referees at future international competitions.”

The referee course in the DPRK was the first such event organized by the nation’s national federation and met or exceeded all requirements. Last year the federation hosted a Level One Coaches Course, which was received with equal praise. The small nation produced an impressive number of referees and coaches with 16 referee candidates and a coaching seminar with 78 attendees.
 

Among the refereeing candidates was Mrs. Choe Jong Bok, was former medalist at the Asian Championships who was eager to learn more about a career as a referee. Should Mrs. Choe continue her education and become a referee she would be the first female from the DPRK to fill that role.

The referee seminar in Beijing was also a major success with more than 100 referees from around the country in attendance. The Chinese Wrestling Federation, who hosted an Olympic Qualification tournament in 2012, held the event at the National Training Center in Beijing.

Later this month the Chinese Wrestling Federation will also be hosting the China Open, a United World Wrestling Ranking Series event, in Taiyung, China. The women’s wrestling event will be held on June 22 and June 23, with a short women’s wrestling development camp to precede it starting June 17.

For more information on refereeing courses and opportunities please see below:

https://unitedworldwrestling.org/sites/default/files/wrestling_referee_brochure_eng.pdf

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UWW to continue tests for Greco-Roman tie-breaker rule

Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 11:18 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 19) — The Technical Commission of United World Wrestling has decided to further test the tie-breaking rule for Greco-Roman bouts that end with a 1-1 score.

UWW had announced in March that it would test a new Greco-Roman rule at the European Championships in April. This rule awarded victory in a 1-1 Greco-Roman bout to the wrestler who scored the first technical point.

Testing at the European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia yielded positive results. However, to fully evaluate the rule, the Commission agreed to conduct further tests at more events.

Beginning with the U15 European Championships in Caorle, Italy from June 25, all future events till the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia will be conducted under the new rule which awards the victory to the wrestler who scored the first technical point if the match ends 1-1. This means that the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb will be part of the testing.

The change comes after it was unanimously acknowledged that the existing rule, which awards victory to the athlete who scores the last point, may unintentionally encourage passivity at the start of the bout. Wrestlers could strategically aim to secure a passivity point in the second period, ultimately winning the match without demonstrating consistent engagement throughout.

UWW once again stresses that the modification will be implemented exclusively for Greco-Roman and will apply only to matches that end with a 1-1 score. For all other score scenarios, the existing wrestling rules will remain in effect.