Wrestling for Peace Executive Board: Austin Landes, Taft Blackburn, Kristi Mann, Joe Russell, Daniel Russell

The first ever Wrestling for Peace (W4P) Winter Gala: Bridging Worlds, Building Futures was held on December 6, 2025 at the historic Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. The event brought together athletes, coaches, diplomats, sponsors, and community leaders to honor wrestling ambassadors and celebrate a transformative year of sport-driven international engagement through the W4P 2025 Global Campaign.

The night opened with a reception and formal program led by Master of Ceremonies Bryan Hazard. Special remarks from W4P Chairman Dan Russell, an opening prayer by Darryl Colbert, and a performance by magician Christian Graham set an inspiring tone, while Olympic gold medalist, Brandon Slay, delivered the evening’s keynote address, emphasizing wrestling’s unique power to build bridges and promote unity across cultures.

USA Wrestling Executive Director, Rich Bender, highlighted the strong partnership between the two organizations, which played a central role in the 2025 Global Campaign at each of four age-group World Championships—U17, U20, U23, and World Veterans. Building on the foundational success of this year’s outreach, Bender and Russell announced the locations for the 2026 Global Campaign, signaling continued expansion W4P’s international mission:

July 2026 - U17 World Championships - Baku, Azerbaijan
August 2026 - U20 World Championships - Bratislava, Slovakia
October - Veteran World Championships - Amman, Jordan
October - U23 World Championships - Las Vegas, USA
October - Senior World Championships - Manama, Bahrain

Making the night of celebration possible was an incredible lineup of sponsors, partners, and donors whose support also has enabled W4P’s global programming and youth initiatives.

Countless diplomatic partners, embassies, community sponsors, and individual donors have stepped forward in support, ensuring the continued growth of W4P’s global peace-building mission.

Organizational contributors:

Guidepoint Security
USA Wrestling
Nike Wrestling / Athletes Performance Solutions (APS)
Titan Mercury Wrestling Club
Wrestle Like a Girl
United States Wrestling Foundation

Individual Gala Contributors:

Taylor Lukof
Bryan Bollman
Larry Blackburn

2025 Award Honorees

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was the opportunity to honor six courageous sport ambassadors, athletes, coaches and volunteers, who exemplify the heart of W4P, and whose contributions advanced the W4P mission during the 2025 season:

Wrestler of Peace Award: PFC Jasmine Robinson-Morales
Presented by Nancy Schultz and Nicole Tyson

Champion Coach for Global Impact: Chris Brown
Presented by Jonny Ruggiano and USA Wrestling CEO Rich Bender
Sports Diplomacy Ambassador: George Porter
Presented by Taylor Lukof and Joe Russell
Volunteer of the Year: Darryl Colbert
Presented by Afsoon Johnston and Mark Stephens
“Bryan Bollman” Community Champion Award: Beat the Streets DC
Presented by RDML (RET) Dave Manero and Bryan Bollman — including $2,500 grant
International Partnership Award: Mohammed Al-Awamleh
Presented by Diana Al-Hadid and Sally Roberts

Chris Brown, George Porter, PFC Jasmine Robinson-Morales, Darryl Colbert, Mohammad Al-Awamleh

Looking Ahead to 2026

W4P Executive Board member and USA Wrestling Arkansas State Chair, Kristy Mann, closed the event with a message of gratitude and a call to continue investing in peace through sport. With the 2026 Global Campaign already in the planning stage, the Executive Board is looking for new W4P Ambassadors and sponsors to join the charge in the year ahead.

join the team