By ABDULRAHMAN YAHAYA

The Nigerian Wrestling Federation (NWF) has announced plans to establish a training camp in Iowa State University in the U.S., in preparation for the forthcoming 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

A statement by the Federation on Sunday in Abuja confirmed that the President of the NWF, Bashir Adeniyi, had given the nod to establish the camp in the U.S. ahead of the World Wrestling Championships scheduled for Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the camp is aimed bringing together Nigerian wrestlers based in different parts of the U.S., providing opportunity for them to train collectively ahead of the Championship.

The statement stated that Some of Nigeria’s top wrestlers currently studying in the U.S. will have the opportunity to undergo effective training at the camp, while several home-based wrestlers with valid US visas will also join the training programme.

The NWF also added that the camp will also be opened to new talents willing to join the national wrestling team.

“Nigerian-born athletes residing in the U.S. who are eligible and willing to represent Nigeria will have the opportunity to participate in the training programme, providing a platform for identifying and integrating talented wrestlers of Nigerian descent into the national team setup,” the statement added.

Reacting to the development, Nigeria’s Women’s Wrestling coach Purity Akuh, thanked the federation for the initiative.

“I sincerely thank the NWF President, Adeniyi for this initiative,” he said.

“Opportunities such as the Iowa training camp are important for exposing Nigerian wrestlers to world-class facilities, high-level competition, and some of the best athletes and coaches in the sport,” Purity said. (NAN)

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