Members of Naga Wrestling Association address a press conference held at its office in Kohima on March 25. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express news
Kohima | March 25
For the first time, women wrestlers will compete in the Open Naga Wrestling Championship while more tribes will join the forthcoming event as the Nagaland Wrestling Association (NWA) reaffirmed its commitment promote broader representation in the sport as well as global recognition.
The 15th Open Naga Wrestling and 1st Women’s Open Naga Wrestling Championship will feature three categories comprising the Men’s Open Category, Below 90 kg, and Below 75 kg, while the Women’s Categories will include 60 kg & Above and Below 60 kg, the association informed today during a press conference at its office in Kohima.
The Championship is set to be held on March 28 at Khuochiezie (Kohima Local Ground), it added.
Prizes for the Men’s Open Category include Rs 2,00,000 for the Champion, Rs 1,00,000 for the Second Position, and Rs 50,000 for the Semi-Finalists.
For Men’s Below 90 Kg and Below 75 Kg, the prizes are Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000, and Rs 25,000, respectively.
For Women’s 60 Kg & Above and Women’s Below 60 Kg, the prizes are Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 for the first and second positions, respectively, while the Semi-Finalists will receive Rs 10,000 each, the NWA informed.
All participating wrestlers, referees, and match officials are to report at Khuochiezie on March 27 for weight measurement (10:00 AM–2:00 PM), followed by an official briefing. A wrestler will get only two chances for weight measurement, the NWA said.
Further, all participants, referees, and officials must report to Khuochiezie on March 28 at 8:00 AM. Wrestling will commence at 8:30 AM, and the inaugural programme will be held at 11:00 AM, it added.
The decision of the referee can be challenged as per the Video Review rules by depositing a sum of Rs 10,000, which is non-refundable if the challenge is overruled by the Jury Board, the NWA stated.
In case of any dispute, the decision of the Jury Board shall be final and binding, it added.
The Special Guest for the championship will be Jacob Zhimomi, Minister, Public Health Engineering Dept. (PHED) & Co-operation, while the Honoured Guest will be Chingmak Chang, President, Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO).
Expansion
Elaborating on various systems and regulations, the NWA reiterated that during its 1st General Assembly for the tenure 2024–2028 held on July 20, it made a historic decision to promote Naga Wrestling by reaching out to different tribes in Nagaland.
“As per the decision taken in the General Assembly, we have approached leaders of different tribes, and as expected, many have come forward to form their wrestling associations and organise their wrestlers,” stated NWA President Vivolie Kezo.
For the first time, a total of 129 wrestlers—100 men and 29 women—from 10 tribes will be participating in the upcoming open championship.
The participating tribes are Angami, Chakhesang, Zeliang, Lotha, Sumi, Pochury, Rengma, Chang, Ao, and Phom.
With these efforts, the NWA expressed optimism about hosting the Asian Belt Wrestling Championship in Nagaland.
As the host state, there is an opportunity for Naga Wrestling to be included as the main event in the championship. However, for it to be recognised and played under the UWW/International Olympic Committee, certain primary mandatory regulations must be followed, the NWA stated.
These include inclusion of women’s wrestling, use of proper costumes, adherence to weight categories and implementation of a point-based system, it highlighted.
For promotional purposes, the association added that Naga Wrestling will be played during the International Hornbill Naga Wrestling Championship without women’s participation.
