Background
Wrestling plays a significant role in the lives of people in Dagestan. Men from the area have stated they have always wrestled in traditional bouts between mountain villages. The location of Dagestan in the Caucasus region has put it in a position that is constantly at the threat of war historically and therefore an attitude towards fighting was needed. Neighbouring nations such Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as neighboring regions such as Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Abkhazia also have significant participation in wrestling. However, Dagestan stands out even among its neighbours. [2] [3] [1] [5] [7] [8]
In the late period of the Russian Empire, notable wrestlers included Al-Klych Hasayev, Osman Abdurakhmanov, and Sali Suleiman (Махтулаев Мама), who is the namesake of the Dagestan Ministry of Sports' highest award. [9] [10] During the Soviet Union era, wrestling was not given much attention; few villages had gyms, and the sport withered. [2]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, wrestling had a resurgence in Dagestan as it was used as a method to prevent youths from getting involved with Islamic terrorism. It is considered as an alternative, positive vision of fighting and Islam. Those that succeed in wrestling at high levels could see their lives entirely changed. New gyms were built, with even smaller villages having their own ones. When the International Olympic Committee considered removing wrestling from the Olympics, many in Dagestan were concerned that without wrestling, many youths would end up on the streets or worse, like participating in terrorism. [2] [5] [7] [8] [11]
Wrestling attracts many different ethnic groups in the region to train together. Every morning, dozens of boys and young men turn out to run on the beach near the Caspian Sea as part of their cardio exercise. On weekends, they would train on mountain trails. Wrestling in Dagestan uses a finely-tuned methodology developed over centuries and has a lot of cultural wrestling influences. Conditioning is plyometric based and focuses on movements and exercises optimized for wrestling. There is an emphasis on technique such as clinch work, hand fighting and counterattacking. [2] [3] [5]
Many wrestlers after retiring choose to become coaches and mentors. Wrestling coaches are held in high esteem and are considered father figures and moral guides for youths. Coaches and athletes pray together at gyms and some wrestlers see wrestling as having religious significance. An example is Khadzhimurad Magomedov, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and afterwards became a coach with the Russian team while raising a family in Moscow. In Makhachkala, there are over 50,000 competitive wrestlers. [2] [3] [5] [7]
Athletes from across the world have moved to Dagestan to train such as Frank Chamizo and Saifedine Alekma. There can be multiple champion-level wrestlers to train with in a single gym. [5]
Due to popular demand and overcapacity, wrestling gyms have been forced to turn newcomers away. Due to limited spaces on the national team, wrestlers from Dagestan have competed for other countries such as Sharif Sharifov, Albert Saritov, Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, and Magomed Ibragimov. [1] [5] [12]
