Chris Pendleton (pictured) at the 2013 U.S. World Team Trials. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers are Warriors.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Lineups have been announced for the Keep Olympic Wrestling Duals which will feature several past Olympians, World medalists and NCAA champions.  The event is a men’s freestyle wrestling competition featuring the United States, Kazakhstan, Chile and Canada, on Saturday, July 13 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., starting at 2:00 p.m. in Sports Center II, Gym 7, which is upstairs above the wrestling room.

Proceeds will benefit Care and Share and its efforts to help the community
 
Leading the way for the United States will be past NCAA champion Chris Pendleton.  The former Oklahoma State Cowboy and two-time NCAA champion, Pendleton reached the 96 kg/211.5 lbs. finals of the 2013 World Team Trials before falling to 2013 U.S. Open champion J.D. Bergman.

Also competing for the United States will be 2013 U.S. Open runner-up Clayton Foster at 84 kg/185 lbs., place finisher Chase Pami, fifth at the 2013 U.S. Open at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Moza Fay who placed sixth at the Open at 74 kg/163 lbs.

Kazakhstan’s team features Olympic medalist Akzhurek Tanatarov and World medalist Dauren Zhumagaziev.  Tanatarov won bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London at 74 kg/163 lbs. and was a 2010 World Team member.  Zhumagaziev won bronze at the 2011 World Championships competing at 66 kg/145.5 lbs and was also a member of the 2012 Olympic team.

Also competing for Kazakhstan is Daulet Niyazbekov who is a 2011 World bronze medalist and placed fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games at 60 kg/132 lbs. and two-time World team member Daulet Shabanbay who placed fifth in the 2012 Olympic Games at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.

Two-time Olympian Haislan Garcia will be competing at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. for Canada.  Garcia finished in seventh place at the 2012 Olympic Games and placed fifth at the 2010 World Championships.

The event is free of charge to the public, with a request that spectators donate either food or money to Care and Share, a leading local non-profit which supported the Black Forest fire victims and others in need in the community.

Wrestlers from all four nations will compete in matches during the event in a showcase of top international freestyle wrestling. The Keep Olympic Wrestling Duals will help prepare the athletes for the upcoming World Wrestling Championships and other important international competitions.
 
All three nations have strong international teams and individuals. The United States was third in the unofficial standings at the 2012 Olympic Games. Kazakhstan is one of the strongest teams in Asia, and Canada has produced a number of World-class athletes. Chile is a developing nation which competes with the USA and Canada at the Pan American continental events.

The event will also help raise awareness for the Keep Olympic Wrestling movement. The IOC Executive Committee recommended in February that wrestling be removed as a core sport from the 2020 Olympics. The Keep Olympic Wrestling effort was important in the IOC decision to select wrestling as one of three candidate sports for the final provisional spot on the 2020 Olympic Games program.
 
Spectators will have an opportunity to donate food or money to Care and Share when they attend the event.
 
The most needed food items identified by Care and Share includes canned fruit, canned vegetables, soup, canned meat or tuna, peanut butter, cereal and oatmeal. Other food donations are welcomed and encouraged.
 
Every dollar received by Care and Share can acquire 10 pounds of food, the equivalent of 8 meals.
 
2013 Keep Olympic Wrestling Duals tentative line-up

60 kg/132 lbs.: 
Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan) vs. Frank Perrelli (USA)

66 kg/145.5 lbs.
Dauren Zhumagazyev (Kazakhstan) vs. Haslan Garcia (Canada)
Okassov Sayatbek (Kazakhstan) vs. Phil Simpson or Chase Pami (USA)

74 kg/163 lbs.
Akzhurek Tanatarov (Kazakhstan) vs. Moza Fay (USA)
Zakirov Zhiger (Kazakhstan) vs. Marcelo Castro (Chile)

84 kg/185 lbs.:
Semyon Semenov (Kazakhstan) vs. Clayton Foster (USA)

96 kg/211.5 lbs.:
Yeraly Abdrashev (Kazakhstan) vs. Chris Pendleton (USA)

120 kg/264.5 lbs.:
Daulet Shabanabay (Kazakhstan) vs. Ryan Flores or Jack Jensen (USA)

About Care and Share Food Bank
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado provides much of the food on the shelves of food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters throughout 31 Southern Colorado counties, covering 52,000 square miles. Our mission is to bridge the gap between hunger and abundance and we work hard every day to ensure that children, seniors, working families, the ill, victims of domestic violence, and many others facing food insecurity have access to the nutritious food they so desperately need. We have been feeding the hungry in Southern Colorado since 1972 and have continually grown for more than 40 years. Our current Colorado Springs warehouse opened in 2009, allowing us to double our food storage capacity and effectively increase the amount of food we receive, store and efficiently deliver -- including perishable items that can be stored in our refrigerated warehouse space. We now have the ability to distribute 25 million pounds of food annually. During our last fiscal year, we distributed 17.6 million pounds of food to more than 300 partner agencies. We also have a 16,000 square foot warehouse in Pueblo that serves the needs of Pueblo County and the surrounding areas.
 
About USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and the International Wrestling Federation FILA. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. Its president is James Ravannack, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender.
 
About Keep Olympic Wrestling
In the United States, the official website is http://www.KeepOlympicWrestling.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/officialkeepwrestlingintheolympics, and on Twitter @wrestlingvision.
 
The international links for FILA are http://www.fila-official.com/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fila.official and on Twitter @FILA_Official.