Two Canadian wrestlers are planning on attending United World Wrestling’s Individual World Cup in December. Erica Wiebe and Amar Dhesi will step on the mats to compete for the first time since March.
The duo last competed at the Pan-Am Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Ottawa where they secured spots at the now postponed Tokyo Olympics.
Wiebe, 31, was crowned Olympic Champion at the Rio 2016 Games and will be using this tournament as a key stop on her road to Tokyo.
“This competition will be a huge step in my Olympic preparations by providing an opportunity to gain experience competing in these new, uncertain circumstances,” said Wiebe, who trains with the Calgary Dinos Wrestling Club. “I’m hungry to compete and build towards my Tokyo performance goals.”
Dhesi, 25, qualified for his first Olympic Games at the heavyweight 125 kg spot.
The Individual World Cup was originally scheduled to be a Senior World Championships. United World Wrestling set a benchmark requiring that at least eight of ten of the top nations from the 2019 World Championships, and 70% of total athletes attend the tournament. These criteria were not met and the tournament was substituted with the Individual World Cup.
“We want to see our athletes compete again on the mat. It’s important to our organization and we are committed to providing them an opportunity,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. “There are real challenges to overcome, but we are working together to find a safe and acceptable format where our top athletes can compete in a world class event.