(PRESS RELEASE) -- It is exactly one month prior to the start of the 2009 FILA Grappling World Championships, set for the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Dec. 12-13.

USA Wrestling will host the competition. Grappling, also known as submission wrestling, is recognized as a new form of international wrestling.

The No-Gi competition will be held on Dec. 12, with the Gi competition on Dec. 13. The U.S. is the defending World Team champions in both disciplines.

The U.S. Grappling World Team was determined at the Grappling World Team Trials in Phoenix, Ariz. in late October. The complete U.S. Grappling World Team will be announced next week, after the final spots on the roster are being determined by committee selection.

The U.S. team will be coached by USA Grappling National Coach Ricardo Liborio of Coconut Creek, Fla. Liborio is the coach of the respected American Top Team program and is a legend in the Grappling and Jiu-Jitsu communities.

“Hosting the World Championships will provide a lot of tough competition because it is held in the United States,” said Liborio. “It will be hard work for our team. We will have more competition than ever before.”

Many of the members of the U.S. Grappling World Team participate in a training camp conducted by Liborio at the American Top Team facility in Coconut Creek from Dec. 5-10 in preparation for the competition.

At this time, the following nations have indicated they will participate in the Grappling World Championships: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, United States.

FILA hosted its first Grappling World Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland in December 2008.

Tickets are available at the door, or for purchase in advance through Ticket Leap. Prices are $20 for adults, $10 for Seniors (65 and older) and $10 for Youth (15 and under). Order your tickets online now by visiting the following website:

https://usa-wrestling2.ticketleap.com/buy-tickets/sports/fila-grappling-world-championships/fort-lauderdale/758D972F-15F8-4468-B04B-8EC8DF825C0

The last time that USA Wrestling hosted a World Championships event in the United States was in 2003, when the Freestyle World Championships were hosted in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Make plans now to attend the 2009 Grappling World Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 12-13, and see the best Grapplers in the world battling for world titles.