The speech of the President Alexander Akimov
Dear friends!
According to the Calendar plan of the International Mas-wrestling Federation for 2025, which approved at the general Conference, we were all supposed to gather at the end of April in the Georgian resort town of Tskaltubo for four sporting events – Open European Mas-wrestling Championships among men and women, among boys and girls of 2008-2009 years, among men and women in the absolute weight category, and the III World Mas-wrestling Championship among veterans.
Young and adult athletes from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, Denmark, Egypt, India, Congo, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, and the Central African Republic applied to participate in the specified events, prepared, and were supposed to arrive in Georgia. The judging panel, as always, was supposed to be international and included specialists from three European countries.
In early April, the Secretary General of the International Mas-wrestling Federation Innokentiy Grigoriev, visited Georgia on a working trip as a technical delegate to check the readiness of the accommodation for all participants and the venues for holding continental and world-level competitions. He held a series of meetings, including with the Minister of Sports of Georgia Shalva Gogoladze and received approval for the aforementioned events with a further promise of accreditation of the national mas-wrestling federation under the leadership of Mamuka Tuskadze. Upon his return to Yakutsk, readiness number one was announced for the upcoming events – organizers and referees were tasked with preparing for the delegation. Unique award attributes were made for the champions and prize winners indicating the location of the event of Tskaltubo (Georgia).
But unexpectedly, on April 11, 2025, on Georgian television announce for the population were made by Valery Gulbani (Georgia), Valery Gazaiev (Ukraine), and Juha-Vesa Jantti (Finland) not to allow the arrival of specialists and members of the mas-wrestling team of the Russian Federation.
It is no secret that these individuals created an alternative organization for the development of mas-wrestling in Europe in 2022. We know that during this time they held several small mas-wrestling tournaments in different locations, accompanied by mandatory loud negative statements directed at the International Mas-wrestling Federation. Our attitude towards such actions has so far been restrained and patient, as we fully realize that all countries of the world are experiencing extremely difficult times today. The world has entered an era of global change and political restructuring. World mas-wrestling, as a living organism, cannot help but react to the upheavals of recent years.
Despite the difficult times, the International Mas-wrestling Federation has continued and continues to do everything possible to preserve the large family of mas-wrestlers around the world and creates conditions for athletes from different countries to meet on the mas-wrestling platform that everyone has come to love. We are sincerely grateful to our colleagues who have remained true to the ideals of Olympism based on equality and brotherhood around sports, outside of politics. All our jointly held sports and organizational events are a vivid confirmation of this.
That is why we cannot help but condemn the serious provocation with threats of reprisal against the Russian delegation by Valery Gulbani, supported by the extremist-minded V. Gazaev and J-V. Jantti. Their attempt to divide our community through destabilization and disruption of significant events will not succeed. I would like to inform you that from now on, the International Mas-wrestling Federation has nothing in common with the mentioned individuals and no longer intends to cooperate with them in any form. I ask for your support of my decision by the members of the IMWF Presidium.
Today, April 12, 2025, due to the aggravated political situation in the cities of Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Tskaltubo in Georgia, with concern for our friends from different countries who responded to the invitation of the hosting party and were eager to be with us, in order to prevent harm to their lives and health, and to ensure the safety of all organizers, referees, and participants of the Open European Mas-wrestling Championships among men and women, among boys and girls U-18, among men and women in the absolute weight category, and the III World Championship in mas-wrestling among veterans, based on the request of the President of the Mas-wrestling Federation of Georgia Mamuka Tuskadze, I have made the responsible decision to move the venue and date of the event from April 25-28 to a later date this year. All questions arising from the rescheduling of the championships will be resolved in a working manner.
Dear colleagues, thank you for your understanding of the current force majeure situation, and I hope for further cooperation in the name of the progress of world sports.
We have many large-scale projects ahead of us that will require even greater consolidation of like-minded individuals to promote mas-wrestling to Olympic heights. No such actions will be able to divert us from the path to our intended high goal.
Sincerely yours,
President Alexander K. Akimov
