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2° World Grappling Championship in Fort Lauderdale
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USA Grappling welcomed the 2° World Championship in Gi and No-Gi in the sunny city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 11 to 13 December 2009. The No-Gi competition was dominated by a very strong US team that came well prepared for this challenge and won 11 gold medals out of the 13 available. In 60kg, Matt Betzold created a stirr by making his way up to the final with only one leg. After an impressive win over Brian Peterson (2008 bronze medallist), he was only stopped by Zachary Makovsky who finally won the category. The 66kg category was won by Tom Lecuyer (2008 bronze medallist) who had a narrow win against Dennis Prokopos, also from the US. The 74kg category was won by the French Nicolas Renier (2008 silver medallist) who managed impressive wins with his arsenal of unusual techniques. Nicolas Renier faced in the final the Swede Christian Sandberg who defeated strong opponents such as Ian McAlpine, Michael Kelly, and the Swiss Peter Mettler. In 84kg, last year's World Champion, Jakob Volkman, faced one of the strongest opponents of the tournament, Ben Askren, who outwrestled him and won the gold in the category. 96kg was another strong category with last year's gold medallist, Raphael Davis, who faced stiff competition with the Spanish Jose Rodenas, but finally got his second title as World Champion. The 120kg category was again an all-American triumph with Brandon Ruiz (2008 silver medallist) who lost in overtime against Kelly Anundson. Anundson then went to his second title in the Open division. To be noted the bronze medal won by the Serbian Aleksander Rajacic, one of the lightest grapplers in the Open division with only 74kg.
As usual, the female divisions showed great talent and were not short of surprises. A particular pleasure for the eyes was the 15-year old Tammi Musumeci in 50kg who managed to win against last year's World Champion, Lisa Ward, but then lost to Sam Steward and Felicia Oh who finally got the gold. The 55kg category was dominated by the 2008 World Champion from France, Laurence Fouillat, who walked through the competition undefeated. The silver went to Stephanie Murata and the bronze to Bahar Shahidi, both from the US. In 59kg, Jessica Aguilar from the US came to a solid win, followed by her teammate Tara Larosa and Sonja Räber from Switzerland. In 63kg, the 2008 World Champion from Canada, Sheila Bird, did not perform her personal best, but still won the bronze medal behind Sara McMann and Shayna Baszler, both from Team USA. Also not performing her best was Miesha Tate who ended up fourth after winning the silver medal at last year's Worlds. In 67kg, the dominant force of last year, the French Romy Ruyssen, had a tough tournament and lost the title against Tori Adams who performed really well throughout the tournament. Tori Adams then won her second title relatively easily in the Open division with Romy Ruyssen and Karolina Zawonik who both pulled out in order to prepare for the upcoming Gi competition.
In the Gi division, the rest of the world could finally compete against the dominating force of US grapplers. Brazil got 5 gold medals, USA 3, and Poland, France, Switzerland, and Canada 1. In 60kg, Brian Peterson could take his revenge over Matt Betzold and then win the final against his teammate Bruce Guevara. Peterson showed great technical skills and was a true pleasure to watch. In 66kg, UFC fighter Din Thomas won against the Swiss Roland Laritz and his teammate Tom Lecuyer and was only stopped in a very tactical final by Renato Tavarez from Brazil with a narrow victory of 1 to 0. A big surprise was the win of the young Peter Mettler from Switzerland in 74kg over Cole Miller, a UFC fighter from the American Top Team with great experience. The two fought an impressive final with Mettler leading by 2 points after 2 minutes and then getting caught in a triangle-armlock that he had to defend for almost 3 minutes. In 84kg, the Brazilian Gabriel Kitober left no chance to the French David Pierre Louis (2008 silver medallist) and won the final by 7 to 0. The 96kg division was won again by a Brazilian fighter, namely Rodrigo Medeiros, who won the final 5-2 over the European Champion, Johan Romming from France. The 120kg final saw the fourth consecutive win by a Brazilian fighter, Marcus Oliveira who won by 3 to 1 over the American Jarod Lawton. The Open division brought the fifth gold medal to the Brazilian team with a win of Ailton Azevdo over the Serbian Alksander Rajacic who once again showed his great skills by winning his second medal in the Open division.
In the female 50kg division, Felicia Oh went for her second gold medal of the Championship against the super talented 15-year old Tammi Musumeci. In 55kg, Laurence Fouillat from France matched Felicia Oh and also won her second title, submitting the silver medallist Jeanette Rodriguez from the USA. The 59kg division was clearly won by Tara Larosa who scored 4-0 against her teammate Angelica Delgado. In 63kg, Sheila Bird got the gold by submitting Shayna Baszler from Team USA. The 67kg competition was very interesting with Karolina Zawonik from Poland beating Romy Ruyssen with a clear 4-0. Having lost against her the year before at the World Championship in Lucerne, that came as a particularly sweet win for the Polish grappler. Another comfortable win and a second gold medal went to Tara Larosa in the Open category. Download the complete results
View the full No-Gi Bronze and Gold Finals at the following link
View the full Gi Bronze and Gold Finals at the following link
Once again we witnessed superior grappling at this year's World Championship and we are looking forward to the future this fantastic sport is heading. We thank all the organizers and sponsors of the event and we are hoping to see all the top athletes at the next World Championship that will take place at the end of March 2010.
1° Hungarian Grappling Open in Budapest
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The first Hungarian Grappling Open for Cadets, Juniors and Seniors that took place in the lovely city of Budapest on 21 November 2009 was a huge success. Over 80 athletes from 11 countries (namely Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Austria, Greece, Ukraine, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Switzerland) took part in the tournament that was organized both in the Gi and No-Gi divisions. The participation of countries somewhat new to the grappling world and the remarkable level shown by the athletes prove that FILA grappling is gaining great momentum.
The organization under the supervision of Mr. Valer Papp and the Zen Bu Kan Kempo Federation can be congratulated. Despite a slight problem with the FILA competition software that caused a delay in the morning, the tournament ran smoothly throughout the day and the high level of matches never allowed a moment of dreariness. The participating athletes came from completely different submission fighting backgrounds, such as Gracie and Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, sambo, grappling, judo, or kempo karate, but they all felt comfortable with the easy and straight forward FILA grappling rules. The atmosphere among the competitors was fantastic and very fair.
The strong Hungarian team won the team trophy before Croatia and Spain that ended up third thanks to the great performance of Jose Luis Zapater who got several medals in the regular and open divisions. The trophy for the best athlete went to the young 74kg European Champion from Switzerland, Mr. Peter Mettler, who managed to win every fight of the very strong Gi and No-Gi divisions by submission. He then went on to compete in the open Gi category, facing the experienced Zapater from Spain and the Hungarian Gusztav Diez, winner of the 120kg Gi category. Giving up age and weight, Peter Mettler pulled off a remarkable win in the open division and confirmed his great mastery of the sport. Complete results are available at the following link.
We are certain that the Hungarian Open will be one of the future top European events with a level that will rival the continental championship.
2° World Grappling Championship in Florida
The second World Grappling Championship will take pace in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 11 to 13 December 2009 under the supervision of USA Wrestling. The competition will take place in the Gi and No-Gi divisions and will allow 4 participants per category and per country. All final entries must be returned before 04 November 2009 to info(at)fila-grappling.com and rjohnson(at)usawrestling.org. The participants shall also provide their travel schedule and digital pictures before the deadline so that transport and accommodation can be arranged for them. The delegations that send their entries after 04 November 2009 will not benefit from any transport or accommodation from the organizing committee and will have to make their own arrangements.
The Championship will take place at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center on 3 mats for the senior division (20 and older). Grapplers aged 18 and 19 will be allowed to compete upon presentation of a medical consent. The final list of participants will have to be confirmed at the competition secretariat before 2:30 pm on 11 December and the medical check and weigh-in will start at 4:30 on the same day. The complete competition regulations can be downloaded at the following link. The entry forms are also available here for Gi and for No-Gi.
Hanshi Cup and Seminar in Budapest (HUN)
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The Hungarian Grappling representative, Mr. Valer Papp, will organize the Hanshi Cup in Budapest on 31 October and 01 November 2009. In addition to the tournament, Grandmasters of various styles and countries will be present to lead seminars, such as Hanshi Dr. Harnos Imre from Australia, Növényi Norbert from Hungary, Jean Peter Bolhuis from Holland, or Master Roy MacDonald from Great-Britain.
A grappling course will also be given by Mr. Rafael Perlungher, judo and jiu jitsu black belt and Head of FILA Grappling Europe. With his 35 years of experience in wrestling, sambo, judo, jiu jitsu, grappling, and MMA, Mr. Perlungher will share some of his knowledge and help prepare the participants to the upcoming Hungarian Grappling Open that will take place on 21 and 22 November 2009. More information on the Hanshi Cup can be found at www.interbudo.com. Click on the following link to see the programme of competion and seminars.
Important Update of the International Grappling Rules
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In the course of the year, FILA has closely observed the application of the International Grappling Regulations. Their simplicity and the high rate of submission victories in FILA tournaments are particularly good indicators of their effectiveness. Even though FILA has gotten a fantastic feedback from the athletes, spectators, and referees, a few questionable areas had to be addressed. The updated set of rules is now available for download at the following link and in the Regulations page. All the changes come into effect immediately and for all upcoming FILA grappling events.
The amended articles are explained hereunder:
OVERTIME
Old: If both athletes had the same amount of cautions and value of points, the red athlete was automatically given the choice of position and forced to score in order to win the match. The choice of position was either top or bottom in open guard.
New: If both athletes have the same amount of cautions and value of points, the choice of position will be determined by coin flip. The athlete will be able to choose between top or bottom open guard or neutral standing and still have to score in order to win the match.
TAKEDOWNS
Old: Any takedown with a grappler ending on top was awarded with 1 point.
New: In order to receive the point, the takedown will have to be clearly initiated by one grappler from the beginning to the end. All other scenarios will not be awarded any point and the match will then continue on the ground.
JUMPING INTO GUARD
Old: A grappler jumping into guard with no clear intention of submission or takedown was considered passive and would recieve a caution and/or be brought back to standing position.
New: Jumping into guard with no deliberate attempt of submission or takedown will not be penalized with a caution, but will award 1 point to the opponent.
ESCAPES AND SWEEPS
Clarification of points given for escapes and sweeps:
Escape: 1 point will only be awarded if the grappler goes from a disadvantaged position (side, full or back mount) into neutral position (guard top or bottom and standing neutra).
Sweep: 1 point will only be awarded if the grappler goes from a disadvantaged position (side, full or back mount) into an advantaged position (side, full or back mount). This situation will generally occur from side mount directly into side mount. In that case, the grappler executing the sweep will be awarded 1 point for the sweep and then 2 points for side control.
Grappling Course in Levallois, France
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The Levallois Sporting Club invited Mr. Ricardo Liborio to run a grappling seminar in Levallois on 17 and 18 October 2009. On Saturday, the course will take place from 2 to 5pm at "Gymnase Eric Srecki" and on Sunday, from 10am to 12pm and from 2 to 5pm at "Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan". The course will be a great preparation for the World Championship that will take place in Fort Lauderdale (USA) from 11 to 13 December 2009 and in the organization of which Mr. Liborio is highly involved. See the course's flyer for more information.
Ricardo Liborio was awarded a black belt in 1993 under Master Carlson Gracie. Master Gracie considered him his most technical black belt. Mr. Liborio is a co-founder of the Brazilian Top Team, and, in January of 2002, he moved to the U.S. and co-founded the celebrated American Top Team, one of the most prestigious MMA teams in the world. Under his direction, Jeff Monson; Denis Kang; Mike Brown; JZ Calvante; Marcus Auelio; Thiago "Pitbull" Alves; Din Thomas; and many more have become world-recognized champions. He is considered a legend as both a jiu-jitsu champion and an MMA coach.
World Wrestling Games in Siauliai, Lithuania
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The 4th World Wrestling Games took place in Siauliai (LTU) from 11 to 13 September 2009 and brought together a total of 250 athletes from 41 countries. The organizing committee put up a very professional event in the brand new Siauliai Arena that offered outstanding conditions for the grappling, pankration, belt wrestling, ssireum, tatar wrestling, and beach wrestling competitions.
From the grappling standpoint, a lot was at stake, since the Games were the occasion of the first senior European Championship and the first veteran World Championship, both in the Gi and No-Gi divisions. The level in the European Championship was very high and the competition was dominated by the French team that confirmed its leading position after the silver title won at the 2008 World Championship. In 74kg, Nicolas Renier surprised many participants with his technical skills, notably when taping out the Bulgarian Kamenov with a rarely seen knee slicer. Nicolas Renier came to a relatively easy win in the No-Gi division, but faced stiff competition in the 74kg Gi division, losing against the strong Lithuanian Viktor Tomasevic in overtime. Tomasevic went to the finals and got suprised by the Swiss talent Peter Mettler that won the title by points and became the youngest European Champion at 19 years old. The performance of the two world-class French female grapplers, Oceane Talvard and Romy Ruyssen, is also to be noted as they both got the gold in the No-Gi and Gi divisions. The two French grapplers then accepted to compete with some American pankratiasts in a dual meet and won every single match, featuring some of finest highlights of the competition with flying armbars from both of the French athletes.
The team ranking in the European Championship was a big surprise to many. The gold - as anticipated - went to France, but the silver went to the very strong Lithuanian team that participated in a FILA event for the first time. The level showed by the Lithuanian grapplers was outstanding and placed the team among the European grappling elite without a doubt. The third rank went to the Hungarian team that could have placed higher, but still showed great talent by beating the strong Bulgarian and Polish teams.
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The first veteran World Championship was a treat to the eyes. In 66kg, the French Karim Saki, who already won the gold in the European Championship, faced the Swiss Roland Laritz in the Gi and No-Gi finals. Both times, the overtime decided the winner and both athletes ended up with one gold and one silver medal. To be noted that the bronze medal went to Clint Kingsbury, Head of Grappling Pan-America and FILA Instructor, who also showed great mastery of the discipline. The 74kg Gi and No-Gi finals that opposed the Italian Alessandro Federico and the Swiss Rafael Perlungher could not have been more exciting. Rafael Perlungher, Head of Grappling Europe, won the No-Gi final in overtime and was leading the Gi final by 4-1 whe he got caught in a tight triangle choke 30 seconds before the end of the match. Only with much suffering and luck could he carry on the match until the end and acheive his second World title against the excellent Italian grappler. The Pole Piotr Baginski was the dominant force in 84kg as well as the the Bulgarian Valentin Simeonov in 120kg and the Croatian Zlatko Klaric in the Open division.
The team ranking in the veteran World Championship was also a big surprise with the Swiss team winning the first place over Poland and Croatia.
The competition was a true success and we would like to thank the organizers, the participants, and referees for contributing to the growth of FILA grappling. The complete results can be downloaded from the yellow menu bar. We wish the best of luck to the top athletes who will represent their country in the World Championship in Florida next December. Information on the Championship will shortly be posted.
New Head of Grappling Pan-America
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FILA is happy to announce that Mr. Jason Townsend, Head of Grappling Pan-America, accepted the position of competition manager for the first Youth Olympic Games that will take place in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010. This unique event will bring together cadets from all over the world and feature Olympic-level competitions in Greco-Roman, Freestyle, Female, and Beach Wrestling. Mr. Townsend visited the FILA headquarters last June and could briefly meet Mr. Martinetti who wished him plenty of success for the great challenge he is about to take up. In addition to run the competition in the four wrestling styles mentioned above, Mr. Townsend will bring his contribution to the development of the newly formed Singapore Wrestling Federation. He will take up his post next August and stay in Singapore until the end of September 2010.
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The person appointed to replace Mr. Townsend during his stay in Singapore is Mr. Clint Kingsbury, Domestic Development Manager at the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association. Mr. Kingsbury is highly committed to the development of grappling on the American continent through his position as FILA Referee Instructor, but also through his involvement in the organization of the first KCG Grappling International that took place in Ottawa, Ontario on 8-9 August 2009. The tournament was held in the Gi and No-Gi divisions and also served as the World Team Trials for the 2009 World Championships. Canada will present between 2 and 3 competitors per weight category in the World Championship with an almost brand new national team since none of the male grapplers who participated in Lucerne qualified again. Sheila Bird (2008 World Champion in 63kg) and Alaina Hardie qualified for their second participation in the Worlds and we wish them best of luck. The complete results can be downloaded at the following link.
FILA wishes Mr. Kingsbury plenty of success for his new appointment as Head of Grappling Pan-America. To be noted that Mr. Kingsbury will also lead the referees' course that will take place in Siauliai, Lithuania before the European and Veteran World Championships.
1° European Championship & Veteran World Championship
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The 4th World Wrestling Games will take place in Siauliai (Lithuania) from 11 to 13 September 2009. In order to make this competition more attractive for the grappling community, FILA decided to host the first senior European Championship and the first veteran World Championship on that occasion. The competitions will be organized according to the FILA rules (i.e., direct elimination and repechage with 2 bronze medals) in Gi and No-Gi divisions, and in the official weight categories, that is: 60-66-74-84-96-120kg for Men seniors; 50-55-59-63-67kg for Women seniors; 66-74-84-96-120kg for Men veterans; 55-59-63-67kg for Women veterans. In addition, all divisions will have an Open category that will declare the absolute winner of the championship. The senior division will be open to grapplers aged 20 and up and the veteran division to grapplers aged 35 and up. According to the number of entries received, some age subdivisions might be made for veterans.
The World Wrestling Games will also be the best occasion for candidate referees to get their international certification and for category-III referees to try to upgrade to the higher category. The referees' course will take place on 10 September 2009 and will be directed by the FILA Head of Refereeing Department who will then supervise all referees during their participation in the Games in order to ensure a world-class training. Participants are expected to send their final entries before 11 August 2009 toinfo@fila-grappling.com along with their travel schedules to Vilnius or Riga International Airports. The competition regulations and programme can be found at the following link.
Mrs. Anne Pellaud, FILA Non-Olympic Styles Manager, has just returned from an inspection visit in Siaulai during which she met the organizing committee and made sure that all facilities meet the FILA requirements. The grappling, pankration, and belt wrestling competitions will take place at the Siauliai Tennis School that has long experience in hosting international tennis, wrestling, sambo, karate, and judo events. The 4000 square meter venue will hold 4 competition mats and 2 warm-up mats in addition to its fitness room, saunas, and in-site restaurant. All hotels were also visited and approved. The participants who send their entries in time will benefit from an all-inclusive accommodation fee of 120 CHF or 80 EUR, covering transport from/to the airport, board, lodging, and entry to the competition. Mrs. Pellaud would like to thank Mr. Gintas Vileita, President of the organizing committee and of the FILA Belt Wrestling Committee, Mr. Kestutis Petraitis, Director of the 2012 TAFISA Games, Mr. Giedrius Snudaitis, Director of the Atzalynas Club Siauliai, and Mr. Mindaugas Bezaras, Head of Sports at Siauliai, for their warm welcome. The World Wrestling Games will also be the occasion of a city celebration that will attract people from all corners of Lithuania and will ensure a great atmosphere during and after competitions.
Swiss Budo Open in Lucerne
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The first Swiss Open of the year took place in Root (Lucerne) on 21 June 2009. A total of 70 grapplers from 8 teams (i.e., Yogaka MMA Academy, Yogaka Team Croatia, BTT Genève, Fight Gym Aarau, MMA Zürich, Gladiatoria, Base Concept Lausanne, and Sambo Fribourg) took part in the competition that was organized in a very friendly atmosphere at the Yogaka MMA Academy. The tournament was placed under the supervision of Mr. Rafael Perlungher (Head of Grappling Europe), Mr. Peter Mettler (FILA Grappling Instructor), Mrs. Anne Pellaud (FILA Non-Olympic Styles Manager), and Mr. Jason Townsend (Head of Grappling Pan-America) who was visiting Switzerland and contributed to the smooth running of the competition.
The competition started with a kid tournament with grapplers weighing from 16kg to 110kg who demonstrated that grappling can be practised by children without any harm or danger. The FILA international grappling rules were easily applied by the young participants and no injury was reported. The tournament then proceeded with the seniors who were divided into beginners and advanced groups in both Gi and No-Gi styles. The dominant force in the beginner division was the newly formed MMA team from Zürich that won 4 Gold and 1 Silver medals. The advanced division was dominated by the host team, Yogaka MMA Academy, that won 4 Gold, 2 Silver, and 3 Bronze medals, follwed by the Brazilian Top Team Geneva that demonstrated a very high technical level and won 3 Gold and 1 Silver medals. The complete results can be downloaded at the following link.
The Swiss Grappling Committee is looking forward to developing the grappling activity in Switzerland and build a strong national team for the European Championship that will take place in Lithuania on 11-13 September 2009.
Great Success for the Austrian Grappling Open
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The Austrian Grappling Open, first tournament organized under the FILA rules in Austria, took place in Dornbirn on 6 June 2009. The competition brought together over 120 beginner and advanced grapplers from 5 countries (Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Switzerland) and was extremely well organized by the Dornbirn Grappling Union, host of the tournament. The competition started with a rule review led by Mr. Rafael Perlungher, Head of Grappling Europe and FILA Grappling Instructor. The rules proved themselves to be very effective and ensured a smooth competition with a high submission rate and impartial refeeing. The great performance of the Dornbirn Grappling Union in the Gi division must be noted with a total of 11 medals (beginners and advanced combined). The 66kg category was notably won by the organizer of the tournament, Mr. Roland Laritz, whose high experience in grappling will undoubtedly make him one of the keyplayers within the European Grappling Committee. In 74kg, the gold was won by Gerhard Tenhündfeld (Team Jens Kirim Germany) who has been taking part in the FILA events since 2007 with his participation in the first World Wrestling Games in Antalya and in the World Championship in 2008. The performance of Michaela Amann (Dornbirn Grappling Union) in 55kg was also cheered by everyone.
The No-Gi tournament was led by the Yogaka MMA Academy (Lucerne, Switzerland) that won 7 medals and proved its high technical level throughout the tourament. The most intense match of the day was probably the one that opposed Peter Mettler (Yogaka MMA Academy) and Gerhard Tenhündfeld in 74kg. Peter Mettler who was the highest ranked Swiss grappler in the 2008 World Championship (5th in No-Gi 70kg) confirmed his great technical skills and the international grappling scene should definitely count him among one of its very promising talents. The German Top Team also accomplished great successes with a gold medal for its founder Peter Angerer in 84kg, a gold medal for Stefan Hoss in 66kg and a silver medal for Benjamin Nüssle in 96kg. Stefan Hoss also participated in the 2008 World Championship and made 7th in the 62kg division. In 96kg, the gold medal was won by Marius Maissen (Fight Gym Aarau) who organized the first Swiss Open last year and who will host the third edition on 19 September 2009.
The results of the tournament can be downloaded at the following link and an article published in the Vorarlberg News can be consulted here. FILA would like to congratulate Mr. Roland Laritz and his staff for the great event they put up and encourage the Austrian Grappling Committee to continue on this path.
New members in the European Grappling Committee
The European Grappling Committee is pleased to announce that two new National Committees were accepted by FILA as associated members in May. The first one is the Hellenic Federation of Submission Grappling and Submission Fighting, led by its President Mr. Dimitrios Dimitriou, and the second one is the Bosnia and Herzegovina Grappling Committee, led by Mr. Jasmin Poturovic who also became the first Bosnian grappling referee in 2008. These two new members have already started to take part in FILA activities and Mr. Dimitriou will organize a referees' seminar in Athens on 13 June 2009 to certify the first international Greek referees under the supervision of Mr. Rafael Perlungher, Head of Grappling Europe.
FILA and the European Grappling Committee welcome these two new members and wish them plenty of success in the development of grappling in their countries.
Croatian Grappling Open in Dakovo
The first Croatian Cadet Open took place in Dakovo on 26 April 2009 under the supervision of Mr. Zeljko Vukovich, Head of the Croatian Grappling Committee, and Mr. Peter Mettler, FILA Referee Instructor from Switzerland. 110 athletes from 8 different teams (7 from Croatia and 1 from Bosnia & Herzegovina) participated in the tournament in the following age divisions: Kids 1 (5-9 years old), Kids 2 (10-11 years old), Novice (12-13 years old), Schoolboys/girls (14-15 years old), and Cadets (16-17 years old). The team tournament was won by the Grappling Club "Triangle" from Dakovo (Yogaka Grappling Team Croatia) that participated with 52 athletes and won 43 medals (16 gold, 18 silver, 9 bronze). "The level demonstrated by the young athletes was amazing! The nice throws, actions, and high submission rate left no doubt as per the outstanding work done in Croatia to promote grappling among the youth", said Peter Mettler. No injuries were reported at the end of the competition, thus showing that grappling is a very safe sport for children to compete in. To learn more on the benefits of grappling for children, visit the British Grappling Committee's website at the following link.
Peter Mettler also used the opportunity of his visit to Dakovo to run a training camp to prepare the grapplers for the competition and to conduct a referees' course that certified 8 new FILA International Referees.
Creation of the Austrian Grappling Committee
The General Assembly of the Austrian Wrestling Federation took place in Wals on 17 April 2009. In addition to the election of the Board members, the General Assembly officially appointed Mr. Henry Steiner as Head of the newly formed Austrian Grappling Committee. Mr. Steiner has been following the development of FILA grappling very closely and he notably participated in the first World Grappling Championship as a competitor and referee. The Austrian Grappling Committee is currently working on the implementation of a national grappling league and it will organize its first international tournament under the FILA rules in Dornbirn on 6 June 2009. More information on the tournament are available at the following link.
The European Grappling Committee congratulates Mr. Steiner and wishes him plenty of success for the great challenge he accepted to take up.
Modification in the Female Weight Categories
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Further to several complaints addressed to FILA by light female athletes, the World Grappling Committee accepted to reconsider its decision and re-instate a light female category of 50kg. Although that category was the least frequented in the past events, the World Grappling Committee members admitted that its cancellation would hinder lighter athletes's career and have discriminatory consequences on the long run. The updated regulations have been posted in the "FILA Regulations" section and can also be downloaded at the following link.
Creation of the Croatian Grappling Committee
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Mr. Rafael Perlungher, Head of Grappling Europe, has just returned from a visit to Croatia where he was invited to give a one-week grappling seminar to the students of Mr. Zeljko Vukovich's martial arts club in Dakovo.
The aim of the visit was also to discuss the general development of grappling in Croatia and Mr. Perlungher got invited to attend the first national meeting of the Croatian Grappling Committee during which the election of its President took place. A total of 15 people travelled from all corners of Croatia to participate in the meeting. Most of the participants were owners of martial arts or grappling teams, but one of the competitors in the 2008 World Grappling Championship in Lucerne also took part in the meeting. After a couple of hours of intense discussions, the board unanimously decided to appoint Mr. Vukovich as President of the new Croatian Grappling Committee.
"After having spent a week in Mr. Vukovich's company and having observed his dedication towards grappling, I have no doubt that he will do a great job in propelling grappling in Croatia and that he will become a key player on the international level. The attention that Mr. Vukovich brings to the youth is absolutely remarkable and I have very rarerely seen a grappling club with so many young and well-disciplined students", said Mr. Perlungher. The European Grappling Committee congratulates the Croatian Wrestling Federation for giving its full support to the Croatian Grappling Committee and wishes Mr. Vukovich a warm welcome into the FILA grappling world. |
National Hungarian Championship & Referees' Course
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The Zen Bu Kan Kempo Federation, chaired by Mr. Valér Papp, organized the first Hungarian Championship under the FILA rules on 08 March 2009. About 70 athletes from 12 different teams travelled to Budapest to take part in the competition that was placed under the supervision of Mr. Rafael Perlungher, Head of Grappling Europe, and Mr. Peter Mettler, FILA Instructor. The two FILArepresentatives were also given the mission to conduct a referees’ course in order to certify some Hungarian referees. Five of them successfully passed the test and received their licence as category-III international referees.
Mr. Papp was first introduced to FILA Grappling on the occasion of the 2008 World Championship in which he participated with three competitors. He owns one of the largest grappling Federations in Hungary with 22 affiliated clubs nationwide. His dedication and professionalism were immediately noted by Mr. Perlungher and Mr. Mettler: “Valér immediately made use feel at home and we were impressed to discover how popular and respected grappling is in Hungary. His gym is one of the biggest and most professional we have ever seen and the tournament was very well organized. With their background in kempo, the candidate referees learned the grappling rules very fast and the level they demonstrated during the tournament was very high.”
Given the success of this first competition under the FILA rules, Mr. Papp announced his intention to host an international open tournament in Hungary before the end of the year. More information about this event will be posted in the calendar as soon as available. The European Grappling Committee is very delighted to cooperate with Mr. Papp and his Federation and hopes that it will continue to be as fruitful in the future.
