Wrestling Canada Lutte, the national wrestling federation in Canada, has decided to withdraw from the Junior World Championships due to the ongoing pandemic. The age-group event is scheduled for December in Belgrade, Serbia. Moreover, it has also cancelled all the domestic events until 2021.
WCL withdraws from Junior World Championships
Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Junior World Championships.
The decision was made with the safety of athletes, coaches, and team staff as the top priority. Given the uncertainty of the Canadian travel advisories, the ability for athletes to adequately train in preparation for the event, and the risk of furthering the spread of COVID-19, Canada will not send a team to the event.
The Junior World Championships are scheduled for December 4 to 10 in Belgrade, Serbia.
WCL will be making a decision regarding its attendance at the Senior World Championships, also taking place in Belgrade from December 12 to 20, in the coming weeks. WCL has communicated our questions and concerns to United World Wrestling in relation to the Senior World Championships and is awaiting further information.
Last week, WCL postponed all sanctioned events until 2021.
WCL wishes to support the return of wrestling as much as possible, but must remain mindful of our responsibilities to the athletes and above all to global health.
WCL sanctioned events postponed until 2021
After consultation with the board of directors, Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) will not sanction any wrestling competitions in Canada until 2021.
The decision follows consultation with the Member PTSOs and was made to protect the safety and wellbeing of athletes, coaches, officials, and the broader wrestling community.
WCL sanctioned training activities, participation in international events, or events at the local or provincial level are not affected by this decision. The Senior and Junior World Championships are still currently in United World Wrestling’s event calendar, slated to be held in December in Belgrade, Serbia. No decisions have been made yet regarding Canada’s participation at those events.
For more information about how WCL is dealing with the COVID-19 virus, and tools and guidelines to cope with the risks, please visit the COVID-19 Resource Pag