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2022 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament to be held at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, May 21-22

by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling

USA Wrestling is pleased to announce that it has awarded the 2022 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament to Coralville, Iowa. The event will be hosted at Xtream Arena, May 21-22.


The World Team Trials Challenge Tournament features top Olympic hopefuls in the three Olympic disciplines: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. Winners and some of the runners-up will advance to Final X in June.


Final X is the last step in the Senior World Team Trials process. which will determine the 2022 U.S. Senior World Team that will compete in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 12-18. USA Wrestling will announce the sites for 2022 Final X events in the near future.


Athletes must qualify to compete at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, based upon the approved World Team Selection Criteria in each of the disciplines. To review the Team Selection Criteria, visit https://www.teamusa.org/usa-wrestling/team-usa/team-selection-criteria


In some weight classes, there is one athlete who has already qualified for Final X, so the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament will determine just one wrestler to advance to Final X. In the other weight classes, where there is no athlete already qualified for Final X, the two semifinal winners will both advance to Final X.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, March 10 at www.XtreamArena.com. All-session tickets will be $60 with special youth team/coach ticket packages available.


On Saturday, May 21, the Challenge Tournament in each of the 30 weight classes will be held, advancing through the semifinals in each bracket. On Sunday May 22, the consolation rounds through third place will be held in the morning, with the best of three Championship Series in the weight classes already with one Final X qualifier set for the afternoon.


Coralville’s new Xtream Arena opened in September 2020, and USA Wrestling has held a number of major events there, including the 2020 Senior Nationals, the 2021 UWW Junior and Senior Nationals, as well as the 2021 High School National Recruiting Showcase and the USA Wrestling Girls Folkstyle Nationals. The arena is also scheduled to host the 2022 and 2023 Men’s and Women’s Freestyle World Cup events, which are the annual international dual meet championships.


The local organizing committee is Think Iowa City and the Iowa City Area Sports Commission, which helped host the highly-successful 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2018 Men’s Freestyle World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, as well as the other USA Wrestling events hosted at Xtream Arena.

WORLD TEAM TRIALS CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

At Coralville, Iowa, May 21-22


Saturday May 21


10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Session I

Senior Women’s, Men’s Freestyle and Senior Greco-Roman: 1st Round, Quarterfinals and Consolation


4:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - Session II

Senior Women’s, Men’s Freestyle and Senior Greco-Roman: Semi-Finals and Consolations

Sunday May 22


10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Session III

Senior Women’s, Men’s Freestyle and Senior Greco-Roman: Consolations, Consolation Semi-finals and 3rd Place


2:30 p.m. - conclusion (approx. 6:30 p.m.) - Session IV

• 2:30 p.m. - Senior Women’s, Men’s Freestyle and Senior Greco-Roman: Round 1 - Best 2-of-3 Championship Series for weight classes that have FINAL X athlete sitting out.

• 3:30 p.m.- Senior Women’s, Men’s Freestyle and Senior Greco-Roman: Round 2 and Round 3 (if needed) - Best 2-of-3 Championship Series for weight classes that have FINAL X athlete sitting out.