Azerbaijan highlighted at UWW conference

The United World Wrestling (UWW) held its latest conference, featuring presentations from representatives of four national federations, including Azerbaijan. Each delegation outlined the development pathways and strategies of wrestling in their respective countries.

Among the speakers was Rafiq Huseynov, Greco-Roman wrestling coordinator of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation (AWF). At the beginning of his address, Huseynov spoke about the achievements of Azerbaijani wrestling in the years of independence. He noted that during this period, athletes have earned a total of 1,434 medals at the Olympic Games, World and European Championships—28 at the Olympics, 478 at World Championships, and 928 at European Championships. Emphasizing the broad wrestling base across the country, he underlined that many of Azerbaijan’s decorated wrestlers have come from the regions.

The federation official stated that wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Azerbaijan due to its deep-rooted traditions, which continue to be successfully passed down from generation to generation. He stressed the vital role of government support in achieving these results, citing modern infrastructure, stable funding, and strong sports institutions. He also pointed out the invaluable contributions of both the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education to the sport’s development.

According to Huseynov, AWF’s strategy prioritizes enhancing the professionalism of coaches, identifying young talents, organizing participation in high-level training camps, ensuring consistent success at international competitions, and engaging decorated athletes in wrestling-related activities after their competitive careers, thereby preserving the sport’s legacy.

He concluded by recalling the numerous prestigious sports events previously hosted in Azerbaijan and reaffirmed the AWF’s readiness to cooperate closely with UWW and all international partners.