#AthletesCommission

Julfalakyan Elected Athletes’ Commission Chairman

By Eric Olanowski

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (October 19) -- United World Wrestling has announced that Arsen JULFALAKYAN (ARM) was elected Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission.

Julfalakayan was selected as the Commission’s Chairman by the six other Athletes’ Commission members -- Tamas LORINCZ, (HUN), Yui SUSAKI (JPN), Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI), Maxwell LACEY GARITA, (CRC), Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) and Jessica LAVERS-MCBAIN (AUS) – who were voted into office by their fellow athletes through voting that took place at the ‘21 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway.

“I wanted to express my gratitude to my peers in the Athletes' Commission for their trust and support during the elections. It’s a great honor for me to become the Chairman of the Commission,” said the London Olympic silver medalist.

Julfalakayan has served as an active member of the Athletes' Commission since ’17 but will now be a voting member of the United World Wrestling Bureau. He replaces ‘12 London Olympic champion and five-time world gold medalist Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), who has served in the role since September 2017.

In addition to sitting on the Bureau as the Athletes’ representative, Julfalakayan will also represent wrestlers/wrestling in the IOC Athletes Forum, WADA and in other organizations.

“I’ll make sure to use all my knowledge, experience and energy to bring the Commission to even a higher level. Of course, that will be possible only with tightest cooperation with all the members of Commission and UWW,”

Julfalakayan’s first responsibility as the Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission will come later this month in Belgrade, Serbia, at the UWW Bureau and Congress meeting.

The Athletes' Commission was established in 2013 with the role of protecting the rights and interests of all United World Wrestling Olympic style athletes. The Athletes' Commission members reach out and communicate with active athletes as peers to collect feedback.

United World Wrestling is the international governing body of wrestling and is headquartered in Corsier--Sur-¬Vevey, Switzerland. To learn more about United World Wrestling and the activities of its 179 national federations, please visit: www.uww.org, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

#Grappling, #Pankration

Grappling, AMMA 2026 European C'ships in Yerevan, Asians in Vietnam

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 27) -- United World Wrestling has announced the dates and host cities for its 2026 Grappling, Pankration and Amateur MMA continental championships.

The 2026 Grappling, Pankration & AMMA Asian Championships will take place in Da Nang, Vietnam, from May 13 to 19, 2026. The event will feature competitions in the U15, U17, U20 and Senior age categories, bringing together top athletes from across the Asian continent.

Shortly after, the 2026 Grappling, Pankration & AMMA European Championships will be held in Yerevan, Armenia, from May 23 to June 1, 2026. The European Championships will include all age categories.

Both these competition will lay foundation for the World Championships of Grappling, Pankration and Amateur MMA in 2026.

Further information regarding event regulations, entry deadlines, and logistical details will be communicated in due course by UWW. National Federations are encouraged to mark the dates and contact UWW for any queries.