#wrestlemanama

World C'ships 2026 to be held in October; U20 Worlds in Bratislava

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 8) -- United World Wrestling has officially confirmed the host city for the 2026 U20 World Championships and finalized the competition dates for the 2026 Senior World Championships.

In addition, the host for 2026 Asian Championships has also been shifted from Amman, Jordan to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Bratislava, Slovakia, has been selected to host the 2026 U20 World Championships. Bratislava had successfully hosted the 2025 European Championships in April with sellout stadium. The U20 World Championships in 2026 are scheduled to take place from August 17 to 23 and a similar crowd is expected for the competition.

UWW also confirmed the competition window for the 2026 Senior World Championships to be hosted in Manama, Bahrain, which was announced as hosts during a ceremony held in Zagreb in September.

The World Championships are set to run from October 24 to November 1, providing nine days of action featuring the world’s top wrestlers.

No Arab country has ever hosted a World Championships but Bahrain will etch its name in history with the 2026 edition.

"Bahrain has a superstar in wrestling," UWW President Nenad LALOVIC had said. "They probably want to use this opportunity to promote the sport through this superstar [Akhmed] TAZHUDINOV (BRN). But he's not the only one.

"They also want to develop the local Bahrain born athletes to compete because they have the role model of the top achievement in wrestling. This is something that we considered and that is why we made this decision."

The Asian Championships, originally scheduled in Amman will now be hosted by Bishkek from April 6 to 12.

The 2026 U15 & U20 Asian Championships have been moved from Bangkok to Pattaya.

The U17, U20 and senior African Championships will be held in Alexandria, Egypt from April 28 to May 3. In addition, the dates for the 2026 Pan-American Championships were also modified. The competition will now be held from May 7 to 10 in Coralville, Iowa, United States.

For the full 2026 calendar, visit uww.org/events.

Development

India Continues to Deepen Development of Coaches

By United World Wrestling Press

NEW DELHI, India (April 15) -- The Wrestling Federation of India organized a Level 1 Coaching Course late last year. The course was led by UWW Certified Educator Ahmed KHEDHRI (TUN).

During the four days of training, the 45 participants implemented an integrated framework combining theoretical instruction and practical application, with the aim of developing participants’ coaching competencies.

The theoretical component addressed a comprehensive range of topics, including risk assessment and safety management, discovery-based learning, communication and coaching methods, effective strategies for teaching new techniques, and the roles and responsibilities of the coach.

The practical component included performance assessments and field-based training sessions designed to reinforce the knowledge acquired and apply it within realistic training environments, ensuring effective integration between theoretical understanding and practical execution.

“The participants demonstrated a consistently high level of engagement and professional commitment throughout the course," said Khedhri. "Their active involvement, openness to correcting existing concepts and acquiring new knowledge, as well as constructive exchanges of experience, contributed significantly to enhancing the learning process."

IND
Coaches at the Level 1 Coaching Course go through on the mat training in Delhi. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Comments from the participants:

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to attend the UWW Level 1 Coaches Course,2025 at Najafgarh Stadium, Delhi. It was an enriching classroom and practical learning experience.”

  • Kamal Sehrawat

“The wrestling coaching course was informative and practical. It provided valuable knowledge about wrestling techniques, rules, training methods, fitness, and injury prevention. The Educator was highly knowledgeable, supportive, and motivating, and explained each technique clearly. The practical sessions improved skills and confidence. Overall, the course was very useful and inspiring for better performance in the future.”

  • Rajender Kumar

“This program has truly enhanced my coaching knowledge and confidence. The scientific approach, practical sessions and valuable guidance from our instructors made this journey incredible. I feel inspired to implement these learnings with my athletes. Thank you to the entire teaching team and organizers for this wonderful opportunity.+

  • Indu Choudhary