Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 29 : A high-level meeting was held at Varsha Bungalow, the official residence and office of Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, in Mumbai, as part of the official inspection visit by the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) for the World Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championships 2026 scheduled to be held in India from October 26 to November 7, 2026.
The meeting was attended by Assen Hadjitodorov, President, World Armwrestling Federation (from Bulgaria), and Mircea Simicel Simionescu, General Secretary, World Armwrestling Federation (from Romania), along with the President of PAFI and Vice President of AAF, Preeti Jhangiani and Co-Founder of Pro Panja League, Parvinn Dabass, who hosted the visiting delegation, accoring to a release.
As part of the visit, WAF officials inspected facilities in both Mumbai and Delhi, which are being considered as probable host cities for the championship. Discussions during the visit also included interactions with the Paralympic Committee officials Sangwan (Vice President PCI), Mr Rahul Swami (CEO PCI), Manish Rana (Paralympic Sports Specialist PCI) in India, focusing on support, organisation and the development of Para Armwrestling in India.
Following the inspection, World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) confirmed that all technical requirements are met. India offers the necessary infrastructure, including major international airport hubs, online visa access and all key elements required to host a successful global event.
Assen Hadjitodorov, President, World Armwrestling Federation, stated, "India has demonstrated strong capability and commitment in hosting events of this scale, having successfully hosted the Asian Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championship last year. The infrastructure, organisational strength and overall preparedness give us great confidence that the World Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championships 2026 will be conducted at the highest standard here. I would like to thank Parvinn Dabass and Preeti Jhangiani for being such wonderful hosts."
Speaking on the successful inspection, Preeti Jhangiani said, "It is a proud moment for us to host the WAF delegation and showcase India's readiness to stage the World Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championships. We are grateful for the support and encouragement extended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which gives us great confidence that we can deliver a world-class event."
Parvinn Dabass added, "This inspection marks an important milestone for Armwrestling in India. The encouragement and backing from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with such positive feedback from WAF, motivates us to deliver a world-class tournament for all fans, athletes and visiting nations."
Preeti Jhangiani and Parvin Dabas will travel to the European Armwrestling Championships in Budapest this May, where they will do a presentation for the participating European nations ahead of the World Championships.