Authors

Discover articles written by UWW journalists, staff, and contributors.

Authors

Discover articles written by UWW journalists, staff, and contributors.

Eric Olanowski

Eric Olanowski is an Olympic wrestling broadcaster, journalist, producer and former NCAA Division I wrestler who serves as United World Wrestling’s Head of Media and Communications. He joined United World Wrestling in 2015 and has since has covered three Olympic Games—Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024—as well as 11 Senior World Championships and numerous age-group World Championships, Continental Championships, Ranking Series events and Olympic qualification tournaments. Before moving into international sports media, Olanowski competed at 125 pounds for Michigan State University, where he was NCAA Qualifier and Big Ten Championship place-winner. Following his competitive career, Olanowski began broadcasting college wrestling, including working as a color commentator for Big Ten Network and ESPN. His ability to combine technical knowledge with storytelling earned him the National Wrestling Media Association’s Broadcaster of the Year award for the 2015–16 season. At United World Wrestling, Olanowski’s responsibilities extend far beyond commentary. He oversees and contributes to UWW’s international media strategy, live-event coverage, athlete interviews, written reporting, social-media content, documentaries, promotional campaigns and championship storytelling. Throughout his career, Olanowski has interviewed many of the sport’s most accomplished figures, including Aleksandr KARELIN (RUS), Hasan YAZDANI (IRI), Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), David TAYLOR (USA), Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), Sergei BELOGLAZOV (RUS), Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), Helen MAROULIS (USA), Yui SUSAKI (JPN), Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Rei HIGUCHI (JPN), among numerous other Olympic and world champions.

Ikuo Higuchi

Ikuo Higuchi is a contributor at United World Wrestling and the editor-in-chief of wrestling-spirits.jp , Japan's only wrestling website. He previously served as the editor-in-chief of the Japan Wrestling Federation's official website from 2001 to 2024. He wrestled during his time at Aoyama Gakuin University -- the alma mater of Kohei Hasegawa, a gold medalist at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. After graduating in 1984, he began his career as a sports reporter for Kyodo News Agency, focusing primarily on Baseball and Sumo. He covered the World Wrestling Championships in 1986 and 1987 while working for the agency. In 1990, he left the company to take charge of editing the Japan Wrestling Federation's official publication. He transitioned to managing the federation's official website in 2001 while continuing his reporting work. He has covered nine consecutive Olympic Games -- from Barcelona in 1992 to Paris in 2024 -- including reporting from the spectator stands. He also covers the World Championships almost every year. In 2013, when wrestling faced the threat of being dropped from the Olympic program, he served as the executive committee chair for the "Save Olympic Wrestling" petition campaign, gathering approximately one million signatures.

Ken Marantz

Ken Marantz is a veteran journalist and a contributor at United World Wrestling. His career has spanner well over 30 years with majority of years at The Japan News, the English daily of The Yomiuri Shimbun which is Japan’s leading national newspaper, founded in November 1874.

Switzerland

United World Wrestling Press

United World Wrestling Press is the official communications from United World Wrestling, the international governing body for the sport of wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling for men and women, as well as others.

New Delhi

Vinay Siwach

Vinay Siwach is the Website Editor and Communications Coordinator at United World Wrestling (UWW), where he has been working since 2021. Before joining UWW, Vinay worked as a sports journalist in India, specializing in Olympic sports, with a particular focus on wrestling. Over more than a decade in sports media, he has covered athletes, major competitions, and the evolving landscape of wrestling, developing a reputation for informed reporting and insightful analysis. His work has focused on telling the stories behind the results and bringing fans, athletes, and professionals closer to the sport. His experience across journalism and communications gives him a strong understanding of both the sporting and media sides of wrestling. At United World Wrestling, Vinay's responsibilities include event coverage, media strategy, social media, public relations, and media coordination.

India