Two dozen athletes and officials were given their awards at the Marriott Hotel in the Hungarian capital, on the eve of the World Wrestling Championships here.

Dusson - whose career in wrestling has spanned 60 years from the 1950s - is considered a stalwart of the organisation having served under several Presidents.

"There are few words that can express the wrestling community's gratitude to Michel," said UWW President Nenad Lalovic.

"He has been a source of strength in the organisation and has been a leader of our sport for more than half a century.

"The Hall of Fame award is in recognition of his unique contributions."

Dusson has been secretary general since 1982 and a UWW Bureau member since 1980.

Prior to that he was an international referee from 1958 to 1980, officiating at events including the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

From 1984 to 1992 he was President of the French Wrestling Federation.

The chair of the Hall of Fame Commission Stan Dziedzic said Dusson would leave a "very fine legacy".

"Mr Dusson has contributed so much to the sport it's impossible to choose one thing, but he was responsible for initiating the recognition of women's wrestling by the IF [International Federation], which is a very fine legacy," he said.

A full list of Hall of Fame members can be found here.