Azerbaijani sports official Namig Aliyev has announced his candidacy for president of United World Wrestling (UWW), challenging incumbent president Nenad Lalovic of Serbia in the election scheduled for October 23 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Aliyev was included in the official list of candidates published by UWW on October 6. According to French sports publication Francs Jeux, Lalovic is facing an opponent in a presidential election for the first time, having won his previous two elections unopposed.
Who is Namig Aliyev?
Born on March 30, 1960, in Ganja, Azerbaijan, the 66-year-old official has extensive experience in sports administration and an academic background in law.
According to his official UWW biography, Aliyev studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University between 1977 and 1983 and earned a PhD in Law in 1990.
He has served as vice-president of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation since 2007 and was re-elected to the position at the federation's general assembly in November 2025.
Aliyev's involvement in international wrestling administration began well before his presidential candidacy. He has been a member of the UWW Bureau, one of the organization's principal governing bodies, since 2010.
In September 2022, he was re-elected to the Bureau for another six-year term during the UWW Congress in Belgrade.
In November 2024, Aliyev took on another significant international role when he was appointed president of UWW's unified committee overseeing grappling, pankration and amateur MMA.
The committee was established to coordinate the development of these disciplines and strengthen support for national federations.
What does Aliyev propose?
Aliyev has presented a development program for international wrestling extending through 2032.
His main priorities include improving transparency in governance, expanding financial opportunities for national federations, increasing athletes' participation in decision-making and reforming the refereeing system.
According to Francs Jeux, Aliyev intends to begin implementing concrete changes within his first 100 days in office if elected.
His initial plans include establishing a working group on refereeing reforms, reviewing UWW's financial and administrative operations, assessing the needs of national federations and developing a strategy for international partnerships.
Who is his opponent?
Nenad Lalovic has led international wrestling's governing body since 2013. The Serbian official was elected to his first full presidential term in 2014 and secured re-election without opposition in 2021.
Lalovic is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and serves as vice-president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).
An important development ahead of the election came during UWW's extraordinary congress on September 7.
Delegates voted 114 to five in favor of a decision confirming that the two-term presidential limit introduced in 2021 would not apply retroactively to previous terms.
The decision cleared the way for Lalovic to seek another term as president.
The presidential election in Astana will therefore determine not only who leads United World Wrestling in the coming years but also which approach to the sport's future development will guide the organization.
At the time of publication, the results of the UWW presidential election had not yet been announced.
