Two World Wrestling Championships are coming to the top sports destination of Peloponnese: the city of Loutraki!

Greece, the cradle of sports and the Olympic ideal where the sport of wrestling was born, will host the major event of the UWW Veteran World Championships, the 2023 Veteran World Championships (GR/FS), as well as the Veteran & U15 Grappling Championship World Championships 2023 (GP/GP Gi)!

From October 17 to 23, 2023, at the Veteran World Championships 2023 (GR/FS), 800 Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling veterans from 32 countries will have the opportunity to compete again, share memories and experiences in the arena and build bonds of friendship, solidarity and cooperation.

Earlier, the Grappling Veteran & U15 World Championships 2023 (GP/GP Gi) will be held from 14 to 16 October 2023, where 200 athletes from 19 countries will take part.

Both championships are organized by the Hellenic Wrestling Federation, with the cooperation of the World Federation of the sport.

The championships will be held under the Auspices of Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi Municipality and will be implemented by Sportcamp youth sports training center.

The Veterans World Championships 2023 Age Divisions (GR/FS) are Veteran athletes, according to the regulations of the World Wrestling Federation.

The Competition Categories are as follows:

Men & Women

GR (55-62) -70-78-88-100-(100-130) kg                                                                            

FS  (55-62) -70-78-88-100-(100-130) kg   

•  Division 'A' 35-40 
•  Division 'B' 41-45
•  Division 'C' 46-50 
•  Division 'D' 51-55
• Division 'E' 56-60 

The weight categories are:

•   55-62 kg
•   70 kg
•   78 kg                                              
•   88 kg
•  100 kg
•  100-130 kg                        

Grappling is a wrestling style that combines technique from various sports such as Freestyle Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Luta Livre Brasileira, Catch Wrestling, Judo, Sambo and the aim of the sport is to knock down and control of the opponent. Of all the modern wrestling styles, it is the closest to the ancient Greek wrestling or Pale, practiced in the ancient Olympic Games. Grappling is divided into 2 styles: Grappling, where athletes wear shorts and a compression shirt called a rashguard, and Grappling Gi, where athletes wear a kimono.

The Age Categories of the Grappling Veteran & U15 World Championships 2023 (GP/GP Gi) are Veteran athletes & U15 youth athletes, according to the regulations of the World Wrestling Federation.

The categories are:

Novice (12-13 years old)
•    Boys and girls: 27, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 55, 60, 66, 72, +72kg 
Schoolboys/girls (14-15 years old) 
•    Boys: 29-32, 35, 38, 42, 47, 53, 59, 66, 73, +73kg Girls: 28-30, 32, 34, 37, 40, 44, 48, 52, 57, +57kg 
Cadets (16-17 years old) 
•    Boys: 39-42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 63, 69, 76 
•    Division "C" 46 - 50 years 
•    Division "D" 51 - 55 years 
•    Division "E" 56 - 60 years 
               -Men: 62, 66, 71, 77, 84, 92, 100, +100kg 
               -Women: 53, 58, 64, 71, +71kg                                                                                                                                                                

All the matches will be held at the G. Galanopoulos Municipal Indoor Hall, in Loutraki, while the athletes will be accommodated in the city hotels and in Sportcamp's facilities.

The opening ceremony of the Veteran World Championships 2023 (GR/FS) will be held on 17/10 and the medal awards will be held daily from 17 to 22/10, while for the Grappling Veteran & U15 World Championships 2023 (GP/GP Gi) the awards will be made on 14 and 15/10.

The schedule of the games is as following:

Join us in cheering and congratulating all the athletes in this spectacular event! See you in Loutraki!