The class includes inductees in seven categories - Order of Merit, leadership, officials, coaching, men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Wrestlers from 11 countries are represented with a total of seven individual Olympic gold medals and 17 individual world titles included in their combined accomplishments.

Georgia’s David Gobezhishvili, a two-time 130 kilograms world champion and gold medallist at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, is one of three men’s freestyle inductees.

He is joined by South Korea’s Park Jang-soon, the 1992 Olympic gold medallist at 74kg and 1993 world champion, and the United States’ Dave Schultz, the 1983 world champion at 74kg and 1984 Olympic gold medallist who passed away in 1996.

Norway’s Ine Barlie, a 61kg world champion in 1987 and 1992, and Canada’s Martine Dugrenier, a 67kg world champion in 2008, 2009 and 2010, are the two women’s freestyle inductees.

Four Greco-Roman wrestlers have been inducted, including Russia’s Anatoly Kolesov, the 78kg gold medallist at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo and three-time world champion.

Cuba’s Héctor Milián, the 1992 Olympic gold medallist at 100kg and 1991 world champion, also features along with Romania’s Stefan Rusu, the 1980 Olympic gold medallist at 68kg and two-time world champion, and Hungary’s Janos Varga, the 1968 Olympic gold medallist at 57kg and two-time world champion.

The sole official to be inducted is the US’s Rick Tucci, who refereed at eight Olympic Games and 75 World Championships at senior, junior, and cadet levels.

The two coach inductees are the late William "Bill" Farrell, the former New York Athletic Club (NYAC) President and coach of the 1972 US freestyle Olympic team, and Russia’s Victor Kuznetsov, who coached three-time Olympic gold medallist Alexander Karelin and 2012 Olympic champion Roman Vlasov.

Manuel Andrade y Rodriguez, President of the Mexican Wrestling Federation from 1972 to 1980, and the late Joe Scalzo, a former International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) vice-president, are the leadership inductees. 

Germany’s Dr Harold Tünnemann, a sport scientist involved with international wrestling since 1973 and an existing member of the UWW’s scientific commission and head of video analysis team, is the Order of Merit inductee.

The class will be presented on August 12 in Rio de Janeiro, preceding the start of the wrestling competition at the 2016 Olympic Games.

"I want to thank our Hall of Fame Commission and wrestling vice-president Stan Dziedzic for their work in selecting the honourees for the Hall of Fame class of 2016," said UWW President Nenad Lalovic.

"This is the 13th anniversary of the Hall of Fame and this class pays special tribute to individuals in our sport with legacies of excellence which are worthy of recognition and preservation."

Dziedzic added: "This year's ceremony is special for me.

"Bill Farrell was my coach at the NYAC and I was the USA national coach when Dave Schultz won his 1983 world title and 1984 Olympic gold medal.

"Also this year we added the 'Order of Merit' which will go to Dr Harold Tünneman who has become a fixture in our sport, helping to advance wrestling’s scientific progress for more than 50 years.

"Dr Tünneman is a deserving first inductee."