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Olympic champ Ghasemi now UWW Educator

Monday, May 1, 2023 - 10:55 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 1) -- Komeil GHASEMI, an Olympic champion in 2012 and silver medalist from Rio 2016, expanded his career horizons by pursuing a United World Wrestling (UWW) educator certification. In Cambodia's Southeast Asian Championships last year, Ghasemi took his first step by appearing for the certification test.

As the coach of Cambodia's national team for two years, Ghasemi sought to enhance his skills and knowledge. After acing the Level 1 Coaching, Training, and Introduction to Refereeing course, conducted by Olympic Solidarity in collaboration with UWW, Ghasemi was invited to the Coaches Course in Thailand in March.

"I am thrilled to share my experience and my expertise with all the participants," said Ghasemi in December. "UWW remains committed to its affiliated members and is always concerned for their development and is committed to working with all the partners concerned towards this objective of sustainable development while keeping the course of the 2022-2026 strategy."

Komeil GHASEMI

Hailing from the wrestling hotbed of Juybar, Iran, Ghasemi has achieved several accolades in his career. He won two gold medals at the U20 Asian Championships and bronze medals at the U20 World Championships. Ghasemi's notable achievements also include a world silver medal in addition to his two Olympic medals, making him the most successful Iranian heavyweight wrestler.

After retiring in 2019, Ghasemi transitioned to coaching and joined the Cambodian wrestling team. His expertise bore fruit at the Southeast Asian Wrestling Championship held in 2021, where Cambodian wrestlers achieved their most significant tournament success since joining a few years ago, earning a total of 19 medals, including three golds, three silvers, and 13 bronzes, under Ghasemi's coaching.

#development

UWW Organizes International Training Camp Before African Championships

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - 09:38 By United World Wrestling Press

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (May 11) -- United World Wrestling hosted a international training camp before the 2026 African Championships in Alexandria from April 20 to 26.

The camp, organized with a focus on performance, technical exchange, and sporting cooperation, brought together coaches and wrestlers from across the continent with participants from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia, Guinea, Namibia, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, and Zambia.

One of the major highlights of this edition was the historic participation of Zambia, which took part for the first time in a continental wrestling activity. The participation symbolizes the steady expansion of African wrestling into new nations and confirms the growing development of the sport across the continent. The Zambian delegation included wrestler Martin JERE (ZAM) and Stephen FULANGANI (ZAM), accompanied by their coach Eugine CHIPOKOLO.

Alexandria

Throughout the week, wrestlers took part in specialized sessions combining standing and ground techniques, upper and lower-level attacks, targeted defense drills, technical combinations, aerobic preparation, acrobatic exercises, and individual training. Coaches would also use this gathering as an opportunity to exchange training methods and share their expertise within a high-level international environment.

The camp will bring together several experienced athletes and international competitors in Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, and Greco-Roman. Among the participating nations were also several Sub-Saharan African countries that continue to strengthen their presence on the continental stage through increasingly strong participation.

Beyond the sporting aspect, the program also included awareness sessions focused on environmental protection in sport through the “Wrestle Green” initiative, as well as workshops dedicated to anti-doping education and athlete protection.

Alexandria

Participants also received dedicated camp equipment, including sportswear, “Wrestle Green” materials, and training accessories intended for daily practice sessions.