Russia will stop allowing its wrestlers to wrestle for other countries

[Irani]

20 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

USA Micic won worlds in '23 for Serbia

 

I stand corrected 

[Window12]

30 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

USA Micic won worlds in '23 for Serbia

 

He won 23 in Serbia for Serbia. Inexplicably never seemed to achieve the same heights for Serbia outside Serbia. Must have been all that wholesome fresh air of the Serbian motherland. I believe Serbian fresh air weighs practically very little but is highly nutritious and energetic and wholesome only to the true sons of mother Serbia.

[bnwtwg]

15 minutes ago, Window12 said:

He won 23 in Serbia for Serbia. Inexplicably never seemed to achieve the same heights for Serbia outside Serbia. Must have been all that wholesome fresh air of the Serbian motherland. I believe Serbian fresh air weighs practically very little but is highly nutritious and energetic and wholesome only to the true sons of mother Serbia.

Serbian air is known to provide a 10kg allowance when no one is looking

[Window12]

7 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

Serbian air is known to provide a 10kg allowance when no one is looking

Yes- Amir Arsalan Namdar may have benefited from the very same in the field of GR wrestling too..

[Wildcat92]

On 12/8/2025 at 9:08 AM, Irani said:

I believe Russia is the only one that has achieved Olympic gold medals for other countries and Iran and Russia are the only ones that have achieved world gold medals for other countries.  I am not aware of any Japanese wrestling for other countries 

Micic won gold for Serbia.

[GrandOlm]

On 12/8/2025 at 12:18 PM, CHROMEBIRD said:

That's kind of a cultural thing with Japan, isn't it? I know it happens, but my sense is that it's frowned upon for their athletes to "defect" and represent other countries even with dual citizenship. It might also be a national federation rule (or law)? I remember Naomi Osaka said she had to pick either the US or Japan by age 21 or whatever if she wanted to keep competing.

Also, not the Olympics, but Micic was born in the US and famously won a gold medal for Serbia at Worlds a few years ago

I think it's also plain economics. Japan is much richer than Dagestan. If you don't make a world team or two but are still really good, then you still move on with your life and get a normal job. Wrestling in Japan is tied to higher education (like the USA, just with no fans), so it's not like wrestlers are shut off from other opportunities . 

Whereas in a these place like the caucus, wrestling is a ticket out of poverty or drudgery.Wrestling overseas is better than being stuck home with options

This is a bit of curricular logic, but Japanese wrestlers don't have these foreign wrestler networks to recruit and bring them in. 

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

I can't speak for 2025, but historically Japan is pretty nationalistic and ethnocentric, beyond even what we as Americans are familiar with.  Add to that the unique culture and how difficult it can be for them to thrive in areas outside of Japan, I don't think we will see a lot of Japanese wrestle for other countries.

I am very sure that no Japanese will be representing France anytime soon for instance.

[Jim L]

1 hour ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

I can't speak for 2025, but historically Japan is pretty nationalistic and ethnocentric, beyond even what we as Americans are familiar with.  Add to that the unique culture and how difficult it can be for them to thrive in areas outside of Japan, I don't think we will see a lot of Japanese wrestle for other countries.

I am very sure that no Japanese will be representing France anytime soon for instance.

The relative lack of money for international wrestling is also a factor. A decent amount of Japanese baseball players have done OK playing in the MLB

[Jim L]

On 12/8/2025 at 10:08 AM, Irani said:

I believe Russia is the only one that has achieved Olympic gold medals for other countries and Iran and Russia are the only ones that have achieved world gold medals for other countries.  I am not aware of any Japanese wrestling for other countries 

Frank Chamizo won a bunch world golds for Italy

[bnwtwg]

1 minute ago, Jim L said:

Frank Chamizo won a bunch world golds for Italy

I believe "just" two in 15 and 17

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

9 minutes ago, Jim L said:

The relative lack of money for international wrestling is also a factor. A decent amount of Japanese baseball players have done OK playing in the MLB

But they are not representing another country- a key difference.  I don't think a lot of Japanese would be willing to turn their back on Japan.

In fact, guys like Ohtani are basically representing Japan when playing in MLB and enhancing national pride.

[CHROMEBIRD]

2 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

I can't speak for 2025, but historically Japan is pretty nationalistic and ethnocentric, beyond even what we as Americans are familiar with.  Add to that the unique culture and how difficult it can be for them to thrive in areas outside of Japan, I don't think we will see a lot of Japanese wrestle for other countries.

I am very sure that no Japanese will be representing France anytime soon for instance.

Look at who they just elected PM. Before that, Shinzo Abe was considered right-nationalist before he was assassinated, along with Suga and others in-between who affiliated themselves with ethnonationalist figures and groups.

 

1 hour ago, Jim L said:

The relative lack of money for international wrestling is also a factor. A decent amount of Japanese baseball players have done OK playing in the MLB

Good point. Conversely , a big reason why Naomi Osaka chose to represent Japan over the US is because she had a lot of lucrative endorsement deals and sports celebrity status in Japan, whereas she just got lost in the noise in America. Kind of supports the economic argument @GrandOlm made above, but also a bit of being a bigger fish in a smaller pond sort of thing.

[Piper]

On 12/8/2025 at 6:51 PM, Window12 said:

He won 23 in Serbia for Serbia. Inexplicably never seemed to achieve the same heights for Serbia outside Serbia. Must have been all that wholesome fresh air of the Serbian motherland. I believe Serbian fresh air weighs practically very little but is highly nutritious and energetic and wholesome only to the true sons of mother Serbia.

He's had plenty of success outside of that. He also has a world bronze and went to the Olympics seeded 1 twice.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

42 minutes ago, Piper said:

He's had plenty of success outside of that. He also has a world bronze and went to the Olympics seeded 1 twice.

Where were worlds held when he won his bronze?

What was the #1 reason he was seeded first in 2024?

Where were 2020 and 2024 Olympics held, and how did he perform?

[Window12]

6 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

a-Where were worlds held when he won his bronze?

b-What was the #1 reason he was seeded first in 2024?

c-Where were 2020 and 2024 Olympics held, and how did he perform?

answers

a- It was Serbia

b- Winning the proceeding year in Serbia

c- Not in Serbia.. he DNP  in 2020 Tokyo - not sure about 2024 how it went for him....Did he take part?

[bnwtwg]

1 hour ago, Window12 said:

c- Not in Serbia.. he DNP  in 2020 Tokyo - not sure about 2024 how it went for him....Did he take part?

Blew his knee out just prior to 2024 olympics

[Window12]

1 hour ago, bnwtwg said:

Blew his knee out just prior to 2024 olympics

Ah- thats a real shame.

If he had done well there, I would have had to eat humble pie- and gladly would have done...

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

3 hours ago, Window12 said:

answers

a- It was Serbia

b- Winning the proceeding year in Serbia

c- Not in Serbia.. he DNP  in 2020 Tokyo - not sure about 2024 how it went for him....Did he take part?

Backed out the week before.  Maybe he looked at a map?

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

4 hours ago, Window12 said:

answers

a- It was Serbia

b- Winning the proceeding year in Serbia

c- Not in Serbia.. he DNP  in 2020 Tokyo - not sure about 2024 how it went for him....Did he take part?

Oh, another question: Where is the president of UWW from?

[Window12]

2 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Oh, another question: Where is the president of UWW from?

Hmmm……. let me think… it’s on the tip of my tongue…… I really should know this…could it be…Serbia?

[Window12]

3 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Backed out the week before.  Maybe he looked at a map?

For the life of me I just can not understand why they make hard working athletes go to a backwards country like France… I mean what is wrong with you all …why not just Serbia?

[bnwtwg]

1 hour ago, Window12 said:

For the life of me I just can not understand why they make hard working athletes go to a backwards country like France… I mean what is wrong with you all …why not just Serbia?

shalllllenj... LOSS!

[nhs67]

On 12/6/2025 at 12:01 PM, Husker_Du said:

Bender and Mamiashvili are going hard at this.

Bender/USAW would not allow RBY to attend the Olympic Training Camp (which was at Penn State (or in PA somewhere i forget))

Not allowing at the camp makes sense.

[Lucho]

It just came out that Bulgaria rule in favour of accepting Shamil Mamedov into the Bulgarian wrestling federation. It looks like this is still going to be an issue for Russian wrestling for many years to come. Although the Mamedov issue has been ongoing for a couple years now I wonder how they will address it going forward as there will be many more Mamedov and Tazhudinov's in the future. 

[SocraTease]

On 12/8/2025 at 2:40 PM, bnwtwg said:

Serbian air is known to provide a 10kg allowance when no one is looking

Cry more for us