Takedown Report

International Wrestling News – # 10

TDR Editor’s Notes ; News from the past month in International wrestling. San Marino will have their first Olympic wrestler, (#3), yet the rest of the news is much sadder with the cancelation of this year’s U23 Worlds (#10), and the affect on Olympic sports by Stanford University’s cuts to their sports teams. (#1) Much more upsetting and final was Iran’s decision and execution as discussed in articles (#4-#9). Moew uplifting is a look at the history and rules of Greco-Roman style of wrestling (#2).
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1 } – Stanford sports cuts could mean big loss for US Olympic team
If all the athletes from Stanford had been their own country, they would have tied with South Korea for 11th place in the medal standings at the 2016 Olympics. It’s an eye-opening statistic that has been made more jarring because of the recent decision by Stanford — a university renowned for fielding the most extensive college sports program in the country — to remove nine Olympic sports from its 36-team varsity program in an attempt to control a rapidly growing budget deficit in the athletic department. Two former Stanford athletes who said they felt blindsided by the decision are spearheading a protest against a move that will affect not only the 240 athletes currently on the rosters when the teams are dissolved after this school year, but will have effects that stretch well beyond that, both at other colleges and in the Olympic world. … rest of story at _{https://www.atholdailynews.com/Stanford-sports-cuts-could-mean-big-loss-35876960?mc_cid=7d6595523f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – What is Greco Roman wrestling: From rules to Olympic history
Greco Roman wrestling is one of the oldest sports disciplines to feature at the Olympics Games.
One of the nine original sports to feature at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, the first modern Olympic Games, Greco Roman wrestling holds a special place in Olympic history. The Greco Roman style of wrestling has been a regular fixture in the Games since the 1908 Olympics, pre-dating it’s cousin, freestyle wrestling, which secured a regular spot in the Games programme at Antwerp 1920.

Here’s everything you need to know about Greco Roman wrestling.
Greco Roman wrestling rules and scoring
Like most amateur wrestling formats in the world, the core objective of Greco Roman wrestling is to either pin both of the opponent’s shoulders to the mat to win the match or accumulate more points at the end of a designated time-frame to secure victory.
A match or bout consists of two three-minute halves or periods separated by a 30-second break. Wrestlers can score points by executing holds, locks, throws or other legal takedowns.
The points awarded for moves and holds depend on the respective difficulty levels of their execution. From a single move, a maximum of five points can be scored through a grand amplitude throw that ends in a ‘danger position’ (exposing the opponent’s back to the mat for several seconds). The move largely involves picking up and throwing the opponent to the ground and controlling him. … rest of story at _{https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/what-how-greco-roman-wrestling-style-rules-scoring-techniques-olympics/?mc_cid=7d6595523f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – UWW LIVE: Myles Amine, San Marino’s First-Ever Olympian
Myles AMINE became San Marino’s first-ever Olympic qualifier in wrestling when he reached the semifinals of the 2019 World Championships at 86kg in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. 
The 23-year-old Amine had a strong performance at the European Championships this past February, claiming a silver medal at 86kg. He was a bronze medalist at the 2019 European Games.
Amine joined Eric Olanowski to talk about securing his nation’s first Olympic berth and the weight that comes along with that. He also talked about the improvements he’s made over the last year that helped him win a European silver medal and what his goals are heading into the Tokyo Olympic Games. … rest of story at _{https://unitedworldwrestling.org/article/uww-live-myles-amine-san-marinos-first-ever-olympian?mc_cid=0b16b413d6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

4 } – Iran: Wrestling champion Navid Afkari feared at risk of imminent secret execution
11 September 2020, 16:45 UTC
The Iranian authorities must immediately reveal the fate and whereabouts of Navid Afkari, a wrestling champion at imminent risk of being executed in secret, Amnesty International said today, while calling on the international community, including UN human rights bodies and EU member states to urgently intervene.
According to recent information obtained by the organization, Navid Afkari made a short phone call to his family on 6 September and was able to say that he was being held in a wing of Adelabad prison in the city of Shiraz that has high security and harsh conditions, before the call was cut off. … rest of story at _{https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/09/iran-wrestling-champion-navid-afkari-feared-at-risk-of-imminent-secret-execution/?mc_cid=aa70f844b7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

5 } – Tehran is Defiant in the Face of Pressure over Wrestler’s Death Sentence
By Pooya Stone
On Thursday, Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, expressed “extreme concern” over the case of Navid Afkari. Iran’s Supreme Court upheld two death sentences for this champion wrestler last week, ostensibly on charges that he had killed a security guard. But Afkari alleges that he and two brothers were tortured in detention and pressured to issue false confessions. His lawyer and other advocates maintain that the actual basis for his death sentences was his participation in anti-government protests in August 2018, during a period that the Iranian Resistance leader Maryam Rajavi referred to as a “year full of uprisings.”  Bach’s comments on this case came two days after the World Player’s Association issued a statement calling Afkari’s pending execution a “horrific act” that would contradict “the humanitarian values that underpin sport.”  The statement also expressed confidence in Afkari’s innocence and noted that it appeared as if he had been “unjustly targeted by the Iranian authorities who want to make an example out of a popular, high-profile athlete and intimidate others who might dare exercise their human right to participate in a peaceful protest.”  A similar sentiment was expressed the previous week by 48 Iranian professional athletes who signed a statement in support of their colleague and his brothers, Vahid and Habib, who have been sentenced to 54 and 27 years in prison, respectively. Their open letter was addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General,  … rest of story at _{https://www.iranfocus.com/en/human-rights/44502-tehran-is-defiant-in-the-face-of-pressure-over-wrestlers-death-sentence/?mc_cid=aa70f844b7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

6 } – Global Athlete demand IOC and UWW expel Iran following execution of wrestler Afkari
Global Athlete has demanded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and United World Wrestling (UWW) expel Iran following the execution of wrestling champion Navid Afkari.
Iranian state media reported that Afkari was executed yesterday, despite the case attracting global attention and leading to the likes of United States President Donald Trump pleading for clemency. 
The 27-year-old had been given two death sentences for allegedly stabbing a security guard to death and his involvement in demonstrations against the country’s regime in 2018. Afkari had claimed he was tortured into making a false confession and human rights groups and activists believe he was unjustly targeted by the Iranian authorities to intimidate others who might choose to participate in peaceful protests.
The IOC and UWW claimed they were in “constant contact” with the Iranian National Olympic Committee and the Iranian Wrestling Federation to “facilitate a solution”, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Since the execution, the IOC and UWW described the news as “very sad” and “devastating”, but Global Athlete has urged the organisations to take further action. … rest of story at _{https://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1098369/global-athlete-demand-iran-sanctions?mc_cid=26de816f3c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

7 } – UWW Statement on the Execution of Navid Afkari 
CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (September 12) — United World Wrestling has learned that the scheduled execution of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari took place this morning in Iran. It is deeply upsetting that the pleas of athletes from around the world and all the behind the scene work of United World Wrestling and the National Iranian Wrestling Federation, the IOC together with the NOC of Iran did not achieve our goal. The news is devastating and the entire wrestling community mourns his death.  Our thoughts are with the family and the friends of Navid Afkari. … story at _{https://unitedworldwrestling.org/article/uww-statement-execution-navid-afkari?mc_cid=aa5954ac13&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

8 } – Iran summons German Ambassador over tweets criticising execution of wrestling champion Afkari
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has summoned the German Ambassador to Tehran to strongly condemn “interference in Iran’s internal affairs”, following tweets criticising the execution of wrestling champion Navid Afkari.
Iranian state media reported that Afkari was executed on Saturday (September 12), despite the case attracting global attention.
Afkari had been given two death sentences for allegedly stabbing a security guard to death and his involvement in demonstrations against the country’s regime in 2018. Afkari had claimed he was tortured into making a false confession.
Human rights groups and activists believe he was unjustly targeted by the Iranian authorities to intimidate others who might choose to participate in peaceful protests. The German Embassy condemned Afkari’s killing on Twitter yesterday. … rest of story at _{https://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1098432/iran-germany-afkari-execution-criticism?mc_cid=aa5954ac13&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

9} – .Iran’s Zarif says wrestler Afkari executed for murder, not role in unrest
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari was executed earlier this month for murder, the country’s foreign minister said on Monday, rejecting assertions by rights activists that the death sentence arose from his involvement in street protests. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was speaking in a virtual address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Iran’s hardline judiciary said last week that Afkari, 27, a national champion Greco-Roman wrestler, was executed for murder. But his family and rights groups said he was tortured into making a false confession and his attorney said there was no proof of his guilt. .. rest of story at _{https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-wrestler-zarif/irans-zarif-says-wrestler-afkari-executed-for-murder-not-role-in-unrest-idUSKCN26C2H7?mc_cid=1ea990827d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

10 } – UWW Executive Committee Agrees to Cancel U23 World Championships
CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (September 15) — The United World Wrestling executive committee agreed Monday to cancel the U23 Wrestling World Championships originally scheduled for late October in Tampere, Finland.  The executive committee also agreed to keep the international tournaments scheduled on the calendar for November and December, but organizers must implement sanitary conditions that protect the health of all participants. The UWW-provided protocols will be subject to review.
No decision was made about the Senior and Junior Worlds scheduled for Belgrade in mid-December. … rest of story at _{https://unitedworldwrestling.org/article/uww-executive-committee-agrees-cancel-u23-world-championships?mc_cid=451344eca7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

October 14, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment