stadiums

China Builds 47 Million Euro Wrestling Stadium in Senegal

Thursday, July 26, 2018 - 15:46 By BBC News

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DAKAR, Senegal (July 26) -- Senegalese President Macky Sall and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, inaugurated a national wrestling arena in Dakar this week in a project funded by the Chinese government.

The first arena dedicated to this popular sport in Senegal, located in the city of Pikine, near Dakar, was inaugurated Sunday, the second day of the visit of the Chinese leader in the Senegalese capital.

Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Senegal, symbolically handed Macky Sall the keys of the national arena of Pikine wrestling, during a ceremony marked by a wrestling matches and dancing.

The new arena, built in 28 months by the Chinese, cost 48.7 million euros and was paid for by the Chinese government. The stadium has a capacity of more than 20,000 places.

"The national arena fills a gap for wrestling," Senegalese Sports Minister Matar Ba was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.

According to Mr. Bâ the arena can accommodate other sports such as boxing and martial arts, but also socio-educational activities, such as concerts.

The national arena was always a point of concern for Senegalese wrestling professionals, who were forced to organize their competitions in football stadiums.

Lutte Senegalese is the most popular sport in the nations and often broadcast live on television, mobilize thousands of spectators and sponsors, with payment to wrestlers often reaching tens of thousands of euros for a single match.

(This story originally ran in French on the BBC, here)

#BeachWrestling, #BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

With Dakar 2026 Approaching, UWW Ramps Up Beach Wrestling in Africa

Friday, July 25, 2025 - 09:38 By Vinay Siwach

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CASABLANCA, Morocco (July 25) -- With Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games less than 500 days away, United World Wrestling is committed to reinforcing wrestling's presence on the African continent.

As a result, for the first time an African city will host the Beach Wrestling World Series. Casablanca, Morocco will see the third leg of the Beach Wrestling World Series from September 6-7, 2025, at the picturesque Ain Diab beach.

There is more in store for Africa. The final of the Beach Wrestling World Series will be held in Alexandria, Egypt on October 18 and 19, 2025.

UWW is calling for participants. REGISTER HERE!

The World Series participants will be provided with top-class facilities including five-star hotel boarding, food in hotels and transportation to the competition venue. The conditions will therefore be exceptional for a Beach Wrestling event.

Prior to the World Series, the African Championships in U15, U17 and U20 age-groups will also be held in the same venue on September 4 and 5. All wrestlers who are 18 years or older from the African Championships can take part in the World Series as well.

This is not the first time UWW has stepped up its commitment to Beach Wrestling. Along with UWW Africa, UWW provided technical assistance to African wrestlers last year and has now decided to continue that for the U15 and U17 groups.

UWW reminds all countries that the participation in these tournaments is important as the same wrestlers can be considered with priority for the Youth Olympic Games while allotting the decided quotas for Dakar 2026.

UWW's vision is to develop the younger groups who will be part of the Youth Olympics in Dakar. And it was a step in that direction to start U15 competitions in Beach Wrestling from 2025.

Irina RINGACI (MDA)World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) competes in Beach Wrestling in Porec, Croatia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

One of the outcomes of its continued efforts was the participation numbers in the U17 Pan-Am Beach Wrestling Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the U17 Asian Beach Wrestling Championships in Vietnam this year.

The local organizing committee in Rio had to add one more ring to accommodate the participants during the event. At the Asian Championships, India, China, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and other nations participated with full teams.

Similarly, the wrestlers are encouraged to participate in the U17 and U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships in Katerini-Pieria, Greece on October 25 and 26.

Check out beachwrestling.org for all Beach Wrestling News!

UWW's decisions underscore its deep commitment to uplifting and expanding the sport of wrestling across Africa, particularly with the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on the horizon.

For any queries, wrestlers, NFs or organizers can contact -- sports@uww.org.