FILA, the international wrestling federation, notified all national federations in January that a FILA licence is required for all events which appear on the FILA international calendar.

That means in the United States, this only affects the Senior-level FILA international tournaments hosted in the United States, including the Dave Schultz Memorial International, the Sunkist Kids International and the New York Athletic Club International, which will require all participants to have a current FILA licence.

In the past, some FILA calendar events did not have this requirement with approval by FILA, but starting in 2013, every event on the FILA international calendar will have the license requirement.

This does not affect domestic events run by USA Wrestling.

This directly affects the next FILA calendar event on the USA Wrestling schedule, the 2013 Dave Schultz Memorial International, to be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., January 31-Feb. 2. 

Athletes who intend to compete at the Dave Schultz Memorial who do not have a current FILA license for the 2013 calendar year must work with USA Wrestling to secure it in advance, or be prepared to purchase a license onsite at the event at a much higher price.

USA Wrestling can order a FILA license online for any U.S. citizen, at a cost of approximately $100-$115, based upon the current exchange rate. THIS IS THE LEAST EXPENSIVE AND MOST EFFICIENT OPTION.

In order to purchase your FILA license through USA Wrestling, you must provide:
1. A pdf copy of the first page of your passport
2. A mugshot photo of yourself, preferably in jpeg format
3. Your credit card information, which includes: 
a) Visa or Mastercard
b) Credit card number
c) exact name on the card
d) expiration date
e) VIN code on card

You may purchase a FILA license on site at most FILA events, but the cost goes up to as much at $250 and you will be asked to pay in cash.

To order your FILA license, contact Jaimie McNab at jmcnab@usawrestling.org or call her at USA Wrestling’s headquarters at 719-598-8181.