#WrestleZagreb

Zagreb Open Ranking Series day five finals set

By Vinay Siwach

ZAGREB, Croatia (February 5) -- The fifth and final day of the Zagreb Open will be all Greco-Roman. Six weight classes will be in action. A few big names trying to win the gold and the 1500 Swiss Francs that are on offer here.

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Here are the results of the semifinals

55kg
Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) df. Denis Florin MIHAI (ROU), 3-1
Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) df. Mohammad JAVAHERI (IRI), via fall

60kg
Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) df. Razvan ARNAUT (ROU), 3-3
Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Maito KAWANA (JPN), 7-0

72kg
Sajjad IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI) df. Robert FRITSCH (HUN), 3-1
Selcuk CAN (TUR) df. Ibrahim GHANEM (FRA), 5-2

97kg
Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Mihail KAJAIA (SRB), via inj. def.
Tamas LEVAI (HUN) df. Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED), 3-3

130kg
Oscar PINO (CUB) df. Amir GHASEMIMONJEZI (IRI), 8-0
Oskar MARVIK (NOR) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN), 3-0 

14:30: Tamas LEVAI (HUN) moves into the final at 97kg. What a debut for him. Tryone STERKENBURG (NED) got a roll from par terre to lead 3-0 but Levai scored a front head pinch for two to lead 3-3 and win the semifinal. 

14:00: That got a little heated. Mihail KAJAIA (SRB) got the passivity against Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) and got the turn as well from par terre. The referee calls for a leg foul and Assakalov challenges the call. Leg foul confirmed with Kajaia leading 6-0. The bout restarts in par terre and Kajaia gets the turn and the win.

13:45: A highly competitive bout between Tamas LEVAI (HUN) and Felix BALDAUF (NOR). Both traded passivity points but Levai had the criteria. Balduaf got the par terre for the third passivity but as he was turning Levai, got pinned.

13:15: Another technical superiority win for Oscar PINO (CUB) at 130kg. He looks on a mission. Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN) had no answer to Pino's class 

12:55: Tyrone STERKENBURG (NED) with a very confident run at 97kg. He reaches the semifinal with a 5-1 win over Daniel GASTL (AUT). Just the performance he needed to start this important season

12:30: The bout which may have a lot of say when Azerbaijan will select its team for the European Championships. Nihat MAMMADLI (AZE) beats Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) 6-2 and now the youngster will be the preferred choice for the championships.

12:10: Flex BALDAUF (NOR) with an arm throw against Zamir MAGOMEDOV (AZE) before winning 9-0. Baldauf brought it out of nowhere.

12:00: Oscar PINO (CUB) is wrestling Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) at 130kg. He starts with a stepout before getting passivity. A toll and a four-point to finish the bout 8-0.

11:50: U23 world champion Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) is in a Nelson system at 55kg. In Round 1 he begins with a hard-fought 5-2 win against Artiom DELEANU (MDA).

11:30: The 97kg weight class has a large number of participants. World silver medalist Kiril MILOV (BUL) is also wrestling. He warms up with some calm wrestling in the first period before winning 10-1 against Murat LOKIAYEV (AZE). 

11:15: Making a big jump in weight classes, Tamas LEVAI (HUN), who was at 77kg just over a year ago, wins his first bout at 97kg at Zagreb Open. He beats Vilius LAURINAITIS (LTU) via fall.

11:00: Amir Ali ABDI (IRI), one of the favorites to win the 72kg, begins with a 6-0 win over Valentin PETIC (MDA).

10:30: Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), after all these years, has still got it. He rolls to a 9-0 win over Mario VUKOVIC (SRB) at 97kg. In another bout, Felix BALDAUF (NOR) beats Markus RAGGINGER (AUT), 5-0

10:10: Daniel GASTL (AUT) with an early upset. He wins 2-1 against former world silver medalist Alex SZOKE (HUN) at 97kg. He got the second passivity and another point for Szoke's lost challenge

10:00: The final day at Zagreb Open! Big names from Greco-Roman wrestling are on the mat. 55kg, 60kg, 72kg, 82kg, 97kg and 130kg.

#UnitedWorldWrestling

UWW steps up for 2028 LA Olympic cycle with new Refereeing Commission

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 10) -- As the new Olympic cycle kicks off, United World Wrestling has announced a new set of Refereeing Commission and appointed an independent group to maintain the standards of officiating in matches.

UWW's aim is to enhance the efficiency and performance and continuous improvement in officiating in wrestling. Taking a step in that direction, UWW has appointed an independent refereeing group to assess the standards of the officials and the officiating. The group will directly refer to the UWW President and UWW Bureau Members.

The three-member group will consist of Antonio SILVESTRI, Kamel BOUAZIZ and Arsen JULFALAKYAN. Former world champion and Olympic silver medalist Julfalakyan will provide valuable expertise as an athlete and a different perspective from that of a referee.

UWW has also reinvented the Refereeing Commission with headed by Levent SEN. The new commission will retain the same functions and responsibilities and ensure high level of officiating across all competitions.

Additionally, it will be responsible for training new referees and equipping them with the necessary knowledge to progress in their roles. The Commission will work closely with the Development Department to establish the referee education pathway and content.

For referee education and training, UWW has set up theoretical training through online content on UWW Academy, Nearpod and webinars. All the training material is available on the UWW website (uww.org). Ibrahim CICIOGLU will be in charge of the education in close collaboration with the Development department and provide expertise and advice to all parties.