Rivalry

Wrestling Showcases Heavyweight Battle in Short Film, "Rivalry: Taha v. Geno" 

Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 14:43 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 15) -- They are the largest men in the sport of wrestling and for the past several years they've been exchanging some of its most epic battles.

With back-and-forth action and incredible stamina leading to nail-biting outcomes, Rio Olympic champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) and three-time world champion Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) have become appointment viewing for wrestling fans around the world. The duo has competed more than a half dozen times, exchanging wins and losses in what are often high-scoring matches with exertion that often seems in defiance of what is possible.

The documentary highlights the action on the mat, but also the incredible respect and admiration the duo shares for each other. 'I'm extra prepared and motivated each time we wrestle," says Akgul in the film. "He's an incredible sportsman with a strong will," replies Petriashvili.

While the action on the mat can get heated, the duo has showcased the power of respect in a rivalry and that wrestling -- while intense and without forgiveness -- can be a platform for building character.

Fans can watch the documentary for free on YouTube, IGTV, Facebook, and the UWW website.

CAS imposes four-year ban on Gadisov

Wednesday, September 20, 2023 - 10:48 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 27) -- The Court of Arbitration for Sport has imposed a four-year suspension on former world champion Abdusalam GADISOV for a sample collected on August 6, 2015.

Gadisov, who won the gold medal at the 2014 World Championship, was subjected to an out-of-competition test. The sample was initially reported negative by the Moscow lab but it was kept for long-term storage.

On a re-analysis by the Lausanne lab in April 2020, it returned with an adverse analytical finding for dehydrochloromethyltestosterone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The RUSADA ‘Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee’ declared a decision on May 27, 2021 that the wrestler had not committed a doping violation. WADA and RUSADA appealed this decision to CAS.

The CAS heard the matter and decided that the wrestler had committed a doping violation and all the results of Gadisov from August 6, 2015 till August 5, 2019 must be disqualified including the silver medal he won at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas.

Abdusalam Gadisov has appealed against CAS’s decision to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.