News

With less than one month to go for the start of the IWF World Youth Championships, taking place in Durres (ALB) from March 25-April 1, the final entry list for the event is quite encouraging: no less than 387 athletes from 61 nations are for the moment registered for the competition. The IWF Youth Worlds gathers athletes aged 13 to 17 (competitors must be born between 2006 and 2010), and is a showcase of our Sport’s future Stars.

Among the delegations with 10 or more athletes (the Championships will be held in 10 weight categories for both men and women), Mexico and Poland lead the “race” with 20 representatives (the maximum possible) in Albania. Iran (18) is the other nation in the participation’s “podium”. This group is followed by USA (17), Venezuela, with 15 athletes entered so far, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan (with 14), Egypt, India and Turkey (all with 13), Armenia, Chinese Taipei and Ukraine (12), Georgia (11), and Romania, with 10 competitors.

The IWF World Youth Championships is an annual competition, whose first edition was held in Chiang Mai (THA) in 2009, one year before the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Since then, this IWF rendezvous has revealed many talents, who then were able to also shine at senior events, namely the IWF World Championships. The last edition, in June 2022, was hosted by the Mexican Federation, with the young athletes experiencing a very successful event in Leon.

“Everything is set in Durres for a great competition! In our recent meetings with the Organising Committee, we could assess on the excellent preparation for the Championships. All conditions are optimal for the achievement of great performances in Albania. I am sure our athletes will enjoy the event and will give their best to shine in the first IWF World Championships of the year. I wish them all the luck!” said the IWF Secretary General Antonio Urso.

The complete entry list, as of March 1, can be found here