1800 Athletes Gather In Gandhinagar For The 4th PAFI National Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championship

Gandhinagar: The 4th National Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championship commenced at the Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar, bringing together over 1,800 athletes from across the country in one of the largest Armwrestling competitions in India.

Organised by the Armwrestling Sports Association Gujarat with the leadership of President Rajendrasinh Parmar and Treasurer Mayank Patel, under the aegis of the People’s Armwrestling Federation India (PAFI), the four-day championship will run from May 30 to June 1 and features competitions across male and female sub junior, junior, senior, youth, para, master across various weight categories. Athletes from multiple states have assembled at the university campus, where all participants are being accommodated throughout the duration of the event.

The championship also serves as a platform for several leading stars of the Pro Panja League to lock horns again, who are representing their respective states and competing for national honours. The Athletes who win the top two positions across categories here will qualify for the World ArmWrestling & ParaArmwrestling Championship taking place in New Delhi from October 29-November 7th 2026. The most exciting category has turned out to be the 90kgs senior men with several Pro Panja League atheletes like Denic Lalruattluanaga, Tawheed Shaikh, Dara Singh Handa, Asker Ali, Pranjit Saikia, Satnam Singh and Pramod Mukhi all vying for the Championship medals and a chance to represent India at the World Championships.

The opening ceremony witnessed the presence of renowned strength athlete Vispy Kharadi, popularly known as the 'Steel Man of India' and his wife, who attended as special guests. Adding to the excitement, actor Suniel Shetty sent a special message extending his best wishes to all participating athletes, officials and organisers.

Speaking on the occasion, Preeti Jhangiani, President of the People’s Armwrestling Federation India (PAFI) and Vice President of the Asian Armwrestling Federation (AAF) said, "The growth of arm wrestling in India is evident from the scale of this championship. Having more than 1,800 athletes under one roof is a testament to the passion, dedication and rapid development of the sport across the country. We look forward to witnessing some outstanding performances over the next few days. The top athletes will get a chance to participate in the upcoming World Championships in New Delhi."

Parvinn Dabass, Co-Founder of the Pro Panja League added, "The National Championship is the backbone of Indian Armwrestling and plays a crucial role in identifying and nurturing talent. Many of the athletes competing here have featured in the Pro Panja League and several future stars will emerge from this event as well. The increasing participation numbers every year show that Armwrestling is growing rapidly as a mainstream sport in India. We congratulate all the athletes and wish them the very best for the competition."