Wrestling World Cup to be held in December

Wrestlers from 50 nations will compete in this competition and prize money for the champion wrestler is Rs. 1 crore, besides a gold crown and gold mace. The runner-up stands to gain Rs. 50 lakh, a silver shield weighing five kilos. Two semifinal losers will earn Rs. 25 lakh each.

Billed as the highest prize money wrestling competition in the world, the WWC organising committee will comprise representatives from the U. S. A., Canada, Great Britain, Georgia, Australia, Iran and Turkey.

Freestyle wrestlers in the 85-125 kg weight categories from various countries, including Indian matmen, will grapple for honour and cash incentives at the inaugural Vishwavijeta Gama Wrestling World Cup 2016. Scheduled for December, the qualifying rounds will be staged in Mumbai or Delhi, followed by the five-day round-robin phase in Pune, Kolhapur and Indore. Dubai, UAE, will host the semifinal and final.

Wrestlers from 50 nations will compete in this competition, staged under the aegis of the United World Wrestling (UWW), Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and Maharashtra State Wrestling Association (MSWA), as per information from the organiing agency Dreams Marvel Pvt. Ltd. Prize money for the champion wrestler is Rs. 1 crore, besides a gold crown and gold mace. The runner-up stands to gain Rs. 50 lakh, a silver shield weighing five kilos. Two semifinal losers will earn Rs. 25 lakh each.

Indian wrestlers from across the nation wanting to compete will go through an elimination event, named Hind-E-Mahabali, to decide the top two matmen. Both will qualify for the main event. Eight international wrestlers, emerging after a knockout-cum-league competition, will be joined by the two best Indians. According to the organiers, participants will include Olympic and World Championships winners, besides the best from each continent (America, Asia, Europe and Africa).

T. N. Prasad, WFI secretary; Balasaheb Landge, MSWA secretary; and Arjun Khotkar, Maharashtra State Minister of State for Textiles, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries; were present for the event launch. Aniruddha Dhoot, Director, Videocon Group, and Sohag Sarkar, Associate Director, KPMG, graced the launch, besides State wrestlers.

Billed as the highest prize money wrestling competition in the world, the WWC organising committee will comprise representatives from the U. S. A., Canada, Great Britain, Georgia, Australia, Iran and Turkey. State wrestlers present for the launch were Maruti Adkar (1972 Munich Olympic Games), Kripa Shankar (Arjuna awardee) and Jagadish Kaliraman (Hind Kesari).