World Armwrestling Championship under way in Japan, with two Malaysian heavyweights entered for the weekend
The IFA World Armwrestling Championship runs in Tsuchiura, Japan, until 28 September, and Malaysia has two entries in the senior right-hand heavyweight classes.
Armwrestling's world championship is being held in Japan this week. The 2026 IFA World Armwrestling Championships in Tsuchiura, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture north-east of Tokyo, run from 22 to 28 September. They're organised by the International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA) and the Japan Arm Wrestling Association (JAWA).
A week of left and right hands
Each category has separate left-hand and right-hand competitions. According to the IFA's published schedule:
- Tue 22 Sept: Teams arrive
- Wed 23 Sept: Registration and weigh-ins for junior and masters classes, a referee seminar and the IFA Congress
- Thu 24 Sept (today): Opening ceremony, then left hand for all junior and masters classes, with finals and medals from 3pm local time
- Fri 25 Sept: Right hand for junior and masters classes, plus weigh-ins for senior and para classes
- Sat 26 Sept: Left hand for senior and para classes
- Sun 27 Sept: Right hand for senior and para classes
- Mon 28 Sept: Teams depart
The age groups go from under-15 juniors up to Ultra Grand Masters, and there are classes for athletes with disabilities. The IFA says the event is drug-tested and there's no limit on how many athletes a nation can enter in a category.
How big is it?
The IFA's weigh-in schedule lists 346 athletes from 26 countries in the junior and masters weigh-in on 23 September, and 170 athletes from 23 countries in the senior and para weigh-in on 25 September. The official start list shows host nation Japan with the most entries by a distance. The United States, Poland, India and Bulgaria follow.
The Malaysians
The start list includes two Malaysian entries, both in Sunday's senior men's right-hand competition:
- Ali NJ – senior men's right hand, 105kg
- Calveen Petrus – senior men's right hand, +105kg (heavyweight)
Those are two of the most crowded categories on the list. The start list shows 20 entrants at 105kg and 13 at +105kg.
Malaysia has won world titles before
Malaysia has done well at this championship in the past. The country hosted the IFA Worlds in 2023 at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Arm-wrestling.org's report from that event says Malaysia won four gold medals. Joffey Jolly took the senior men's right-hand 70kg title, which the report says he had also won in 2019. Junior golds went to Wayner Weew Oliver, Junior Daniel Marcus and Nathanael Evander Sooyon.
Armwrestling has grown quickly online in the past few years, helped by professional super-match events and viral clips. At federation level, a world championship still means a week of weigh-ins, referee seminars and a busy programme of bouts, with titles decided in every weight class.
The IFA's next major event is the Open World Championships in Rumia, Poland, from 3 to 6 December.
Key takeaways
- The IFA World Armwrestling Championships run in Tsuchiura, Japan, from 22 to 28 September.
- Left-hand and right-hand titles are decided separately, from under-15 juniors up to Ultra Grand Masters, plus para classes.
- Malaysia's Ali NJ (105kg) and Calveen Petrus (+105kg) compete in the senior right hand on Sunday, 27 September.
- Malaysia won four golds when it hosted the 2023 IFA Worlds in KL.
FAQ
When do the Malaysians compete? Both are entered in the senior men's right-hand classes on Sunday, 27 September. Finals start at 3pm Japan time (2pm in Malaysia).
Is the championship drug-tested? Yes. The IFA says the event has doping control, and the daily schedule includes doping control after the finals.
Who can enter? National federations that are IFA members register their athletes. Individuals can only enter if their country has no IFA-member federation.
Sources: International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA), Japan Arm Wrestling Association, Arm-wrestling.org