A three-day educational initiative, organised in collaboration with the Kazakhstan NADC, brought clean sport messages directly to athletes at the 2026 World Championships in Astana.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (November 3) -- United World Wrestling strengthened its commitment to clean sport through a three-day Anti-Doping education outreach activity held from October 27 to 29, during the World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Organised through an Anti-Doping outreach booth in collaboration with the Kazakhstan National Anti-Doping Centre (KAZ NADC), the initiative aimed to raise awareness of clean sport, reinforce knowledge of anti doping rules and responsibilities, and promote a culture of integrity throughout the wrestling community.
The activity attracted strong interest, welcoming 98 visitors from 28 countries, including athletes and support personnel. The booth provided a dedicated space for direct interaction, where visitors could learn more about Anti-Doping requirements, ask questions and strengthen their understanding of their role in protecting clean sport.
To encourage participation and create an engaging learning environment, promotional giveaways were also distributed to athletes throughout the activity.
The initiative was supported by Arsen JULFALAKYAN, President of the UWW Athletes’ Commission, whose participation underlined the important role athletes play in promoting clean sport and encouraging their peers to take an active interest in Anti-Doping education.
“Educating athletes about Anti-Doping is essential to protecting clean sport and ensuring fair competition," Julfalakyan said. "Initiatives like this outreach booth provide a valuable opportunity to engage directly with athletes, raise awareness and remind everyone that clean sport is a shared responsibility.”
Having an athlete representative involved in the initiative helped reinforce the message that clean sport is not only a matter of rules and regulations, but also a shared responsibility across the wrestling community.
The collaboration with KAZ NADC was instrumental in delivering the outreach activity. In particular, the contribution of Galiya ZHYMABAYEVA and Aytolkyn DUISENBAY helped strengthen cooperation between UWW and the national Anti-Doping organisation.
This partnership demonstrated the value of working together to make Anti-Doping education accessible and relevant to athletes and support personnel at major international competitions.
UWW's commitment to integrity also extends beyond Anti-Doping. During the World Championships, the organisation highlighted two additional areas of its integrity programme: Safeguarding and the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions (PMC).
Promotional banners dedicated to Anti-Doping, Safeguarding and PMC were displayed around the athletes’ warm-up area, ensuring that these important messages remained visible within the competition environment.
While each area addresses a different aspect of sport integrity, they share a common objective: protecting athletes, promoting fair competition and ensuring that wrestling remains a safe and trustworthy sport.
The outreach activity in Astana demonstrated the value of bringing face-to-face Anti-Doping education directly to major sporting events. By creating opportunities to engage, ask questions and receive information, UWW and KAZ NADC helped make clean sport education more accessible to the international wrestling community.
