United World Wrestling Press
CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland – The United World Wrestling bureau met in December at the 2016 World Championships in Budapest and passed several major improvements, including changes to the refereeing process and the appointment of new commission members.

To increase the efficacy of the referee assignment procedure, the bureau approved a new IT system developed to randomly assign referees to matches during competition. The system, as approved by the bureau, takes into accounts several factors before assignment including current nationality, nation of origin, and rating among many more.

A test version of the assignment program was launched at the 2016 World Championships with positive feedback from coaches, athletes and the referees.

The bureau also approved a referee education course to be overseen by the development department. The head of referees and the Referee Commission will also now report to the United World Wrestling Sport department. The position of “Supervisor” has also been removed, leaving the referee delegate and the mat chairman to form the jury for challenges.

A discussion around a new ranking and competition system was also started during the bureau meeting, but no decisions for immediate changes were made and the item was given to the Technical Commission for further suggestions. The Technical Commission will also discuss aligning senior and junior weight categories during their meeting early next month.

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