United World Wrestling (UWW) has announced the reallocation of 16 Olympic quotas for the 2024 Paris Games, following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes.
The United States and Italy are among the beneficiaries, with Kamal Bey (77kg) joining the US Greco team and Frank Chamizo (74kg) representing Italy.
The reallocations were made based on the next highest-ranked eligible athletes at the qualifying events, respecting the maximum quota per gender and nation.
The affected weight classes include Freestyle (57kg, 74kg, 97kg, 125kg), Greco-Roman (60kg, 77kg, 87kg, 130kg), and Women’s Wrestling (50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg).
Remarkable reallocations include North Macedonia’s Vladimir Egorov (57kg), China’s Feng Lu (74kg), Ukraine’s Zbigniew Baranowski (97kg), and Poland’s 125kg quota.
In Greco-Roman, Romania, the United States, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Estonia received reallocated quotas. Women’s Wrestling saw Lithuania, Greece, Ukraine, Mongolia, and Sweden benefit from the reallocations.
This development marks a outstanding step towards finalizing the wrestling lineup for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The reallocations ensure that the Olympic quotas are filled, and the affected nations can confirm their participation by the designated deadlines.
The UWW’s decision comes after the IOC’s approval of 16 individual neutral athletes who won Paris Olympic spots in various qualifying tournaments.
The reallocations have brought new opportunities for wrestlers worldwide, and the upcoming Olympics promise to be an exciting display of talent and skill.
As the wrestling community looks forward to the Paris Games, the UWW’s decision has ensured that the spirit of competition and excellence will be upheld.