DUSHANBE, September 13, Asia-Plus — Guests and participants of the Fifth Open Asian Armsports (Armwrestling) Championships, which will be held here from September 15-17, are gathering in Dushanbe.
Nadirkhan Darigi, the head of Tajikistan’s Armsports Federation, has told Asia-Plus that the Asian Armsports Federation head Muhammad Akzamov and Kazakhstan’s Armsports Federation head Vladimir Dreksler already arrived in Tajikistan.
According to Darigi, some 270 athletes from 12 countries across the world, including India, Iran, Pakistan and others, will take part in the competitions in Dushanbe.
Darigi says they were supposed to spend US$30,000 to hold the championships, but due to support of sponsors the preparations for holding the competitions have come to US$15,000. Tajikistan’s Armsports Federation was established in 1992.
The Fourth Asian Armsports Championships was held in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent last year. Tajikistan’s team was the third in the Tashkent championships. This year, Tajik athletes intend to fight for the first or at least the second place.
Armwrestling – the game of testing arm strength and skill is now one of the world”s major sports. While nearly everyone on earth understands the sport of armwrestling, it is the World Armsports Federation that has given armwrestling a set of rules, a constitutional shape, and a vibrant everyday life. Armwrestling as an organized sport got its start in the United States through the efforts of WAF Founder, Bob O”Leary, in the early 60”s. Canada, under the leadership of John Miazdzyk, was the next country to join, rapidly followed by India and Brazil.
Today, the WAF has over 70 member nations on its rolls, Continental Federations established on each continent, and a prestigious World event hosted each year in a different country. As the sport has grown, involvement and support has come in from many sources. Government sports departments, national olympic committees, major private and commercial agencies are all involved in promoting armwrestling. The WAF is an official applicant for membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the General Assembly of International Sports Organizations (GAISF), and continues to pursue its goal for Olympic recognition.
