The programme involves special education and work with referees to recognise risk and prevent dangerous actions during events, the governing body said.

The initiative follows research carried out at the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games, which evaluated the potential impact of a proactive and cautious referee practice on reducing the rate and severity of injuries.

Referees were educated and instructed to be highly careful and proactive in stopping high-risk and dangerous actions.

Data from the injuries that occurred among the 110 participants at the event was compared to injuries sustained at the 2018 Junior World Championships, which featured 658 athletes.

UWW said the Junior World Championships showed an overall incidence of 10.64 injuries per 100 athletes.

The rate was significantly reduced at the Youth Olympic Games to 4.54 injuries per 100 athletes.

The severity of injuries during the Youth Olympic Games was considered to be “significantly lower” than the Junior World Championships.

"We hypothesised that prompt and proper actions of referees to stop dangerous actions and faults could reduce the incidence and severity of wrestling injuries significantly," Babak Shadgan, who presented for UWW at the International Federations Medical Commission Chairpersons Meeting in Monaco, said.

"We showed that proactive and cautious actions of wrestling referees to promptly stop dangerous actions have the potential to reduce the rate and severity of injuries in wrestling significantly.”

"This is a novel approach to the prevention of sports injuries."

UWW says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission has decided to consider a workshop based on the presentation given by Shadgan.

The workshop would be related to the prevention of sports injuries by modifications of sport regulations.

It could be held during a meeting of IOC and International Federation medical commissions next February.