CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 6) – Over 1,600 athletes from 185 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), including 128 wrestlers, who are benefiting from the Olympic Solidarity programmes related to the Tokyo Olympic Games will continue to enjoy this support up until the rescheduled Olympics, which will take place July 23 until Aug. 8, 2021.
There are 53 freestyle wrestlers, 39 Greco-Roman wrestlers and 36 women's wrestlers benefiting from the programmes. The group of wrestlers benefiting is comprised of several world and Olympic medalists, including 2016 Olympic champions Ismael BORRERO (CUB), Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), Vladimer KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) and Taha AKGUL (TUR).
"This is great news for the athletes around the world," said Kirsty Coventry, Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission. "It will ensure that the principles of solidarity and universality will be fully respected and will not be affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Athletes are at the heart of the Olympic Games and will never be left behind, even under these exceptional circumstances that we are currently in."
According to the news release from Olympic.org, "Olympic Solidarity was created more than 50 years ago, aimed at assisting all the NOCs, particularly those with the greatest need, through multi-faceted programmes prioritising athlete development, training for coaches and sports administrators, and promoting the Olympic values."
A complete list of wrestlers can be found here.
For any further information or assistance on this programme, please contact development@unitedworldwrestling.org.
