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Big change in Senegalese wrestling - 12th January 2024

The job of a referee in sport isn't easy. In Senegalese wrestling it's very hard. But now, video – VAR – can help the referees.

Senegalese wrestling, or "La Lutte", is an old sport. It's traditional. La Lutte is popular in West Africa. But Senegalese wrestling's different. Players can hit each other.

To fans, La Lutte winners are like gods. But fans are often unhappy with the referee. They sometimes break things in the stadium.

VAR might help.

Malal Junior Diagne: "It will enable wrestling to move past situations involving disputes during matches and unclear falls. It will allow these disputes to be settled in the arena itself."

VAR has three cameras, some VAR helpers and a VAR officer. The VAR team's at the match. The team can check the screen. The referee can check it too. It can help him make a decision.

Sitor Ndour: "If there's a dispute, if there's a fall that leads to confusion, the referee of the bout can stop and come and ask for VAR, just as we, being in VAR, can ask the referee to come and review the images before he gives the decision. The aim is simply to get to the right decision."

These decisions are important. Wrestlers can win thousands of euros. Bombardier, a wrestler, wants fans to be able to see the VAR too.

Serigne Ousmane aka Bombardier: "VAR has to be displayed publicly so that the wrestlers can see what happened, but they put it on a small screen in the booth and that doesn't give the spectators or the wrestlers a clear view of what happened."

For now, VAR is only in the national stadium. But soon, it could arrive in other Senegalese wrestling stadiums in Senegal.