The 15th edition of the Naga Wrestling Association (NWA) Open Naga Wrestling Championship will be held on March 28, at Khuochiezie (Kohima Local Ground). This year\u2019s event will mark a significant milestone, introducing women\u2019s categories and implementing a point system for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the media, NWA president Vivolie Kezo highlighted the association\u2019s commitment to expanding Naga wrestling beyond traditional boundaries. Following a historic decision taken at its 1st General Assembly (2024-2028 tenure) on July 20, 2024, the NWA resolved to promote Naga wrestling among tribes that have not yet adopted the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, 10 tribes\u2014Angami, Chakhesang, Zeliang, Lotha, Sumi, Pochury, Rengma, Chang, Ao, and Phom\u2014have formed their wrestling associations and organized wrestlers for participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A total of 129 wrestlers, including 100 men and 29 women, will compete in this year\u2019s championship. The NWA aims to extend this outreach to all 17 tribes of Nagaland, with the ultimate goal of gaining national, international, and Olympic recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said with the active support of chief minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio and Secretary General of the Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA), Abu Metha, the state is preparing to host the Asian Belt Wrestling Championship. Naga wrestling will be featured as the main event during this championship, provided all UWW guidelines are met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NWA general secretary, Kenlum Hemang, clarified that the association has introduced two distinct categories to preserve traditional practices while aligning with international standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naga Traditional Wrestling \u2013 This will retain its original format without women\u2019s participation, preserving Naga customs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naga Wrestling \u2013 This version, introduced to meet the guidelines set by the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While traditional wrestling will remain a key feature of the NWA\u2019s calendar, the open championships, including the International Hornbill Naga Wrestling Championship, will adhere to the UWW criteria to promote the sport globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NWA Vice President, Viketouzo Meyase, emphasized that the association\u2019s goal is to secure recognition for Naga wrestling at the international level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kezo appealed for the support and cooperation of all Naga communities, emphasizing that this collective effort would elevate Naga wrestling to new heights and bring greater unity through the sport. The championship will feature three men\u2019s categories and two women\u2019s categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 15th edition of the Naga Wrestling Association (NWA) Open Naga Wrestling Championship will be held on March 28, at Khuochiezie (Kohima Local Ground). This year\u2019s event will mark a significant milestone, introducing women\u2019s categories and implementing a point system for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":477487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40753],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sport-nagaland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Men\u2019s categories:<\/strong>
Open Category: Champion \u2013 R. 2,00,000; Second \u2013 Rs. 1,00,000; Semi-finalists \u2013 Rs. 50,000 each.
Below 90 Kg: Champion \u2013 Rs. 1,00,000; Second \u2013 Rs. 50,000; Semi-finalists \u2013 Rs. 25,000 each.
Below 75 Kg: Champion \u2013 Rs. 1,00,000; Second \u2013 Rs. 50,000; Semi-finalists \u2013 Rs. 25,000 each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women\u2019s categories:<\/strong>
60 Kg & Above: Champion \u2013 Rs. 50,000; Second \u2013 Rs. 25,000; Semi-finalists \u2013 Rs. 10,000 each.
Below 60 Kg: Champion \u2013 Rs. 50,000; Second \u2013 Rs. 25,000; Semi-finalists \u2013 Rs. 10,000 each.
The championship will be graced by Minister for Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) & Co-operation, Jacob Zhimomi, as the special guest, and president of the Eastern Nagaland People\u2019s Organization (ENPO), Chingmak Chang, as the honoured guest.
Decisions by referees can be challenged through Video Review by depositing a non-refundable fee of Rs. 10,000. Any dispute will be resolved by the Jury Board, whose decision shall be final and binding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"