#development

Wrestling with Excellence: Armenia upskills coaches and referees

Friday, April 18, 2025 - 11:59 By United World Wrestling Press

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YEREVAN, Armenia (April 18) -- Armenia Wrestling Federation organized a coaching and referee course during its national championships with an aim to improve in respective fields. The course was done in conjunction with Olympic Solidarity and United World Wrestling

The courses, organized for the second time by Armenia, took place between March 22-31 at the Olympic Centre in Yerevan. The federation had previously organized a Level 1 Coaching Course and the Introduction to Referee Course.

The referee course was organized before the national championships and began on March 22.  The Level 2 course -- Referee Foundations Course -- was led by Alexey BAZULIN.

With 19 referee participants, the first three days of the course focused on the theoretical content and included some practice on the mat. All participants used the acquired skilled practically during the three days during the championships.

"The seminar participants worked as one team, helping each other and were involved in the work process, analyzing and applying the knowledge gained," Bazulin said.

Following the competition, the referees and coaches worked together in a joint session led by both UWW Educators. The Level 2 coaching course began on March 27 and was led by Sergei KOVALENKO.

The course had 14 participants, who covered numerous practice planning concepts in both theoretical and practical sessions. The seminar participants expressed the opinion that such seminars should be held regularly. This provides an opportunity to consolidate previously acquired knowledge, learn something new, share experiences, and analyze advanced teaching methods and other activities.

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Afghanistan Coaches Build Skills at UWW Level 1 Coaching Course

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - 06:58 By United World Wrestling Press

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (June 30) -- Eleven coaches from Afghanistan were among 21 participants who completed a United World Wrestling Level 1 Coaching Course in Almaty, strengthening the country's coaching capacity while building closer ties with neighboring Kazakhstan.

Organized through a partnership between Olympic Solidarity, the Kazakhstan National Olympic Committee, the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, the Kazakhstan Wrestling Federation, and United World Wrestling, the course focused on developing internationally recognized coaching competencies while fostering collaboration between the two wrestling nations.

Apart from the 11 coaches from Afghanistan, coaches from Kazakhstan also joined for a comprehensive program. The curriculum covered coaching responsibilities, skill development using UWW's Key Factors teaching methodology, athlete-centered learning through discovery games, coaching self-reflection, risk management, and practical coaching assessment.

Afghanistan

UWW Educator and former world champion Mohammed ABDELFATTAH praised the participants for their commitment throughout the program.

"I was very impressed with the overall level of the participants," Abdelfattah said. "The coaches were highly motivated, actively participated in every session, and continuously asked thoughtful questions throughout the course."

Abdelfattah was particularly encouraged by the technical level demonstrated by the Afghan coaches.

"The Afghan coaches demonstrated a strong technical understanding of wrestling." he said. "After speaking with several participants, I learned that traditional wrestling is extremely popular in Afghanistan and shares many technical similarities with Olympic wrestling. This provides coaches with an excellent technical foundation for further development."

The practical sessions proved to be a particular highlight, with coaches working through technical demonstrations, problem-solving exercises, and athlete-centered coaching activities designed to strengthen both technical instruction and coaching methodology.

The Afghanistan Wrestling Federation views the course as an important step in its long-term development strategy. Dr. Yonus POPALZY, an Afghan NOC and Olympic Council of Asia member, was instrumental in the development, organization, and success of the course.

Participants highlighted the practical nature of the course and the opportunity to exchange ideas with coaches from different backgrounds.

"The course exceeded our expectations. The practical sessions and interactive teaching methods gave us new ideas that we can immediately apply in our daily coaching."