The city of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, hosted the International Traditional Wrestling Festival 2024 on December 14, organized by the International Traditional Wrestling Union (ITWU) and the European Traditional Wrestling Association (ETWA) with the collaboration of the International Federation of Ukrainian Belt Wrestling. Fifteen participating countries, six Italian athletes from the Traditional Wrestling Italian Federation, led by coach Mattia Galbiati, who competed in two fights.
The event began with the Ukrainian Belt Wrestling World Championship, which saw Federico Zardo win the bronze medal, while Roberto Terranova and Vincenzo Potenza came close to the podium. Immediately after, the international tournament of Gushtingiri, traditional wrestling of Tajikistan, where Betty Vuk (-78kg) and Eleonora Ghetti (+78kg) won all the matches, taking the gold medal, while Andres Felipe Moreno, followed on the tatami by his father, master Salvatore Finocchiaro, won the bronze medal in the +95 kg category. The Italian Team was accompanied by Giorgia Dalla Corte, coach and physiotherapist, and by the founder and president Vittorio Giorgi who declared: “This victory has a special meaning, given that it came the day before the tenth anniversary of the foundation of our federation, which took place in Caserta on 15 December 2014 with Raffaele Vicario, general secretary and athletic trainer, and other members. Ten years of constant commitment, animated by sporting passion and healthy ambition. We have made known the historical and cultural significance of traditional wrestling and have competed in over fifty international competitions in over fifteen traditional wrestling, bringing the Italian flag to many countries around the world and giving our country splendid medals. For us, competitions are not only a sporting experience, but also a human experience that can make us improve as people, because Sport is an extraordinary space full of values and motivations. I want to thank all the Athletes, Coaches, Managers and Supporters who in recent years have contributed to achieving extraordinary results at a national and international level”.
