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The 47th World Armwrestling & 28th World Para Armwrestling Championship 2026 concluded on Friday with a closing ceremony at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, East Delhi.
The ceremony was attended by Nstor Gabriel Baltodano Vargas, Ambassador of the Republic of Costa Rica; Sena Latif, Ambassador of Romania to India; and Vakhtang Jaoshvili, Ambassador of Georgia to India. It was hosted by the Peoples Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) under the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF), as per a press release. Hosted in India for the first time, the Championship brought more than 1,700 athletes, officials and supporters from over 60 countries to New Delhi. Joining the Ambassadors on stage were Assen Hadjitodorov, President, WAF; Mircea Simionescu-Simicel, General Secretary, WAF; Charles Osei Asibey; Jeenbek Mukambetov, President, Asian Armwrestling Federation (AAF); Phil Rasmussen; Preeti Jhangiani; and Parvinn Dabass. Hadjitodorov, Jhangiani and Dabass presented the Ambassadors with awards and mementos, and the Ambassadors presented medals to the final medallists. Russia finished as overall champions, with Kazakhstan second and Turkey third. Six athletes won senior gold on both arms: Melek Celik and Esra Kiraz (Trkiye), Ulbossyn Elmurat and Yerdualet Nurmakhan (Kazakhstan), and Irina Driaeva and Tengizi Natsvlishvili (Georgia). India finished with 59 medals (9 Gold, 19 Silver, 31 Bronze). Para athletes contributed 26 medals (2 Gold, 10 Silver, 14 Bronze), placing India fifth on the para medal table. Sub-junior, junior and youth athletes added 20 medals (3 Gold, 8 Silver, 9 Bronze), and masters and grand masters won 12 (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 7 Bronze). The senior category added 1 Bronze. Jincymol Sebastian won Grand Master Women 80 kg on both arms. Yogesh Choudhary and Shoukath VT each took Right-arm gold and Left-arm bronze. In the senior finals, Madhura K N won bronze in Women 70 kg Right. Charles Osei Asibey, President, Armwrestling Federation of Africa (AFA) and Vice President, World Armwrestling Federation (WAF), said, India has set a new standard as a host. The organisation, the hospitality and the passion of the crowd made this a Championship every continent will remember. Phil Rasmussen, President, Armwrestling Australia, said, New Delhi delivered a world-class Championship. Indias rise in this sport is remarkable, and its athletes belong on the world stage. Preeti Jhangiani, President, PAFI, Vice President, AAF and Co-founder, Pro Panja League, said, We welcomed the worlds strongest arms to India, and tonight we say goodbye as one armwrestling family. Our athletes made the country proud on home soil. This World Championship belongs to every Indian athlete, coach and official who believed in this sport. Parvinn Dabass, Co-founder, Pro Panja League, said, Our athletes have shown the world what Indian armwrestling can do on the biggest stage, in front of a home crowd. Hosting a World Championship was a dream for Panja in India; now it is a benchmark we will keep building on. The Championship ran from October 29 to November 6, 2026, with every bout streamed live by Official Streaming Partner Swen. The World Armwrestling Championship moves to Canada next year. In India, the Pro Panja League Poonawalla Gold Edition II follows in Pune on November 28, 2026, featuring World Championship medallists Yogesh Choudhary, Harkomal Singh Gill and Aabhas Rana. (ANI)
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