event, calendar, 2018 events, tournaments, 2019 events, wrestling, Women's Wrestling, freestyle, Greco-Roman

United World Wrestling Announces 2018 Host Cities and Dates

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY (September 8) – United World Wrestling today announced the finalized list of host cities and dates for the 2018 season along with a handful of locations for 2019 championships in Europe and Africa.

As released during the world championship, the international calendar is highlighted by the Senior European Championships in wrestling-rich city of Kaspiisk, Russia and the fast-rising Nigerian Wrestling Federation hosting the Senior African Championships in Port Hartcourt.

Added to the calendar, Istanbul will host the popular U23 European Championships in mid-June and Zagreb was confirmed for the Cadet World Championships.

The 2019 calendar is also starting to take shape with the African Championships awarded to Tunis (TUN), the Senior European Championships to Bucharest (ROU), the Junior European Championships to Pontevedra (ESP) and the Cadet European Championships to Faenza (ITA).

The Greco-Roman World Cup, U23 World Championships and Junior Pan-American championships location and dates will be finalized soon.

World Cups

Women’s Wrestling World Cup         Takasaki (JPN) // March 17-18
Freestyle World Cup                           Iowa City (USA) // April 7-8

African Championships

All Styles and Age Groups                  Port Harcourt (NGR) // February 7-11

Asian Championships

Senior Asian Championships              Bishkek (KGZ) // February 28- March 4
Junior Asian Championships               New Delhi (IND) // July 19-22
Cadet Asian Championships               Tashkent (UZB) // May 3-6

European Championships

Senior European Championships        Kaspiisk (RUS) // March 20-25
U23 European Championships           Istanbul (TUR) // June 5-10
Junior European Championships        Roma (ITA) // July 31- August 5
Cadet European Championships         Kiev (UKR) // May 8-13

Oceania Championships

All Styles and Age Groups                  Yigo (GUM) // May 17-20

Pan American Championships

Senior Pan-American C’Ships             Lima (PER) // April 27-29
Cadet Pan-American C’Ships              Guatemala (GUA) // May 25-27

World Championships

Cadet World Championships              Zagreb (CRO) // July 3-8
Junior World Championships              Trnava (SVK) // September 18-23
Senior World Championships             Budapest (HUN) // October 22-28

GR Veteran World Championships    Perm (RUS) // TBD
FS Veteran World Championships     Skopje (MKD) // TBD

2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games

Oborududu Named Athlete Role Model for 2026 Dakar YOG

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 15) -- Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) was announced as one of the 36 Athlete Role Models for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

Oborududu, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been a stalwart in Nigerian sports and represented the country for close to two decades. In Tokyo, she made history by winning silver medal at 68kg in Women's Wrestling, becoming Nigeria’s first‑ever Olympic medallist in the sport.

The four-time Olympian was also a 14-tim African champion, a record that still stands. She compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and finished fifth.

The Athlete Role Models will provide mentoring and workshop training to young athletes on site during Dakar 2026. They will be on the ground in Senegal to engage with competing athletes, providing support and advice around competition and taking part in educational workshops. These workshops cover topics such as career management, injury prevention and mental preparation, among many other things.

The group will also attend training sessions, engage with the local community, support the athletes from the sidelines and be there to congratulate them at victory ceremonies.

The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from October 31 to November 13, 2026, bringing together around 2,700 young athletes aged up to 17 across three host zones: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.