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India has concluded the 47th World Armwrestling & 28th World Para Armwrestling Championship 2026 in fifth position overall among 65 participating nations. It was a landmark result achieved before a home crowd in New Delhi.
The People's Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) and Pro Panja League had set two goals: a top-ten finish for 2026 and a top-five finish within three years. India has reached the top five three years ahead of schedule. The Indian contingent won 59 medals (9 Gold, 19 Silver and 31 Bronze), with contributions across every age group and division. Para athletes led the tally with 26 medals (2 Gold, 10 Silver, 14 Bronze), which placed India fifth in the para standings. Sub-junior, junior and youth athletes added 20 medals (3 Gold, 8 Silver, 9 Bronze), masters and grand masters won 12 (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 7 Bronze), and the senior category contributed 1 Bronze. Jincymol Sebastian won gold on both arms in Grand Master Women 80 kg, while Yogesh Choudhary and Shoukath VT each won right-arm gold and left-arm bronze.Madhura K N won bronze in Senior Women 70 kg (Right). Preeti Jhangiani and Parvinn Dabass founded Pro Panja League to professionalise armwrestling in India and build a structured pathway from grassroots competition to the international stage. Under the leadership of Jhangiani, President of the People's Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) and Vice President of the Asian Armwrestling Federation (AAF), India hosted the 47th World Armwrestling & 28th World Para Armwrestling Championship for the first time in the nation's history. On home soil, Indian athletes competed against the world's leading armwrestling nations, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Trkiye, Georgia, Ghana and Australia Parvinn Dabass, Co-founder, Pro Panja League, said, "Fifth in the world is a result that belongs to two remarkable groups of athletes: our para armwrestlers and our able-bodied competitors. Our para athletes delivered nearly half of India's medals and placed the country fifth on the para and the abled table. Our junior, masters and senior athletes matched that spirit bout after bout. We had hoped to reach the top five within three years. These athletes, side by side and on home soil, made it happen this year itself. They have shown that Indian armwrestling has strength in every category, and Pro Panja League will keep building the platform they deserve." Preeti Jhangiani, President, PAFI; Vice President, Asian Armwrestling Federation; and Co-founder, Pro Panja League, said, "Hosting the World Championship was an honour for India, and finishing fifth overall is a strong endorsement of the work undertaken by the federation. This result came well ahead of the timeline we had set ourselves, and it demonstrates the depth of talent in the country, across age groups and in para armwrestling. We remain committed to building on this momentum so that Indian athletes continue to compete with distinction internationally." The 2027 edition of the World Armwrestling Championship will be held in Canada. In India, the Pro Panja League Poonawalla Gold Edition II will take place in Pune on 28 November 2026. It will feature World Championship medallists Yogesh Choudhary, Harkomal Singh Gill and Aabhas Rana. PAFI organised the Championship under the guidance of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF). The championship was held from 29 October to 6 November 2026 at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, East Delhi, and welcomed more than 1,700 athletes, officials and delegates to the capital. Russia won the overall title, with Kazakhstan second and Turkey third. (ANI)
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