World Wrestling Championships facts for kids
This page is about the amateur wrestling event. For the defunct professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling.
Quick facts for kids World Wrestling Championships |
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| Status | Active |
| Genre | Wrestling World Championship |
| Date(s) | September to October |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Various |
| Years active | Unofficially 1904–1920 Officially 1921–present |
| Inaugurated | 1904 |
| Most recent | 2024 Tirana |
| Previous event | 2023 Belgrade |
| Next event | 2025 Zagreb |
| Organised by | United World Wrestling |
The World Wrestling Championships are big events where the best wrestlers from all over the world compete. There are different styles of wrestling, like Greco-Roman wrestling for men, which started in 1904. Freestyle wrestling for men began in 1951, and women's freestyle wrestling joined in 1987. These championships are organized by an international group called United World Wrestling (UWW).
Contents
Early Wrestling History
Before the official wrestling organization, United World Wrestling (UWW), was created in 1921, many World Greco-Roman Championships were held. The UWW considers these early competitions "unofficial." They took place in different cities, mostly in Europe, starting in 1904.
Championship Styles
The World Wrestling Championships feature three main styles:
- Men's Freestyle: This style allows wrestlers to use their legs to attack and defend. They can also use their arms and upper body.
- Men's Greco-Roman: In this style, wrestlers can only use their arms and upper body. They are not allowed to grab opponents below the waist.
- Women's Freestyle: Similar to men's freestyle, this style allows women wrestlers to use both their upper body and legs.
Recent Championships (2005-2024)
Since 2005, all three wrestling styles have usually competed at the same World Championships. This brings together all the top wrestlers in one big event.
| Year | Dates | City and host country | Team champion | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's freestyle | Men's Greco-Roman | Women's freestyle | |||
| 2005 | 26 September – 2 October |  Budapest, Hungary |
 Russia |
 Hungary |
 Japan |
| 2006 | 25 September – 1 October |  Guangzhou, China |
Russia |
 Turkey |
Japan |
| 2007 | 17–23 September |  Baku, Azerbaijan |
Russia |
 United States |
Japan |
| 2008 | 11–13 October |  Tokyo, Japan |
not held | not held | Japan |
| 2009 | 21–27 September |  Herning, Denmark |
Russia |
Turkey |
Azerbaijan |
| 2010 | 6–12 September |  Moscow, Russia |
Russia |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2011 | 12–18 September |  Istanbul, Turkey |
Russia |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2012 | 27–29 September |  Strathcona County, Canada |
not held | not held |  China |
| 2013 | 16–22 September | Budapest, Hungary |
 Iran |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2014 | 8–14 September |  Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
Russia |
Iran |
Japan |
| 2015 | 7–15 September |  Las Vegas, United States |
Russia |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2016 | 10–11 December | Budapest, Hungary |
not awarded | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2017 | 21–26 August |  Paris, France |
United States |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2018 | 20–28 October | Budapest, Hungary |
Russia |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2019 | 14–22 September |  Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan |
Russia |
Russia |
Japan |
| 2021 | 2–10 October |  Oslo, Norway |
 Russian Wrestling Federation |
Russian Wrestling Federation |
Japan |
| 2022 | 10–18 September |  Belgrade, Serbia |
United States |
Turkey |
Japan |
| 2023 | 16–24 September | Belgrade, Serbia |
United States |
 Azerbaijan |
Japan |
| 2024 | 28–31 October |  Tirana, Albania |
 Georgia |
Azerbaijan |
Japan |
| 2025 | 13–21 September |  Zagreb, Croatia |
|||
Top Countries in Wrestling
The "All-time medal table" shows which countries have won the most medals (gold, silver, and bronze) at the World Wrestling Championships. This table includes medals from both official and unofficial championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Soviet Union |
253 | 93 | 69 | 415 |
| 2 | Japan |
139 | 75 | 88 | 302 |
| 3 | Russia |
111 | 67 | 96 | 274 |
| 4 |  United States |
86 | 105 | 113 | 304 |
| 5 |  Iran |
71 | 67 | 80 | 218 |
| 6 |  Bulgaria |
63 | 95 | 103 | 261 |
| 7 | Turkey |
60 | 63 | 84 | 207 |
| 8 | Hungary |
33 | 54 | 53 | 140 |
| 9 |  Cuba |
32 | 28 | 49 | 109 |
| 10 |  Sweden |
31 | 40 | 48 | 119 |
| 11 | China |
29 | 22 | 39 | 90 |
| 12 | France |
27 | 23 | 25 | 75 |
| 13 |  Azerbaijan |
22 | 34 | 39 | 95 |
| 14 |  Germany |
22 | 28 | 48 | 98 |
| 15 |  Finland |
22 | 26 | 25 | 73 |
| 16 |  Ukraine |
19 | 21 | 61 | 101 |
| 17 |  Georgia |
17 | 21 | 44 | 82 |
| 18 |  Poland |
15 | 38 | 39 | 92 |
| 19 |  Romania |
15 | 33 | 38 | 86 |
| 20 |  South Korea |
14 | 23 | 25 | 62 |
| 21 | Canada |
14 | 18 | 32 | 64 |
| 22 |  Armenia |
14 | 10 | 22 | 46 |
| 23 | Norway |
12 | 17 | 29 | 58 |
| 24 |  Austria |
11 | 9 | 8 | 28 |
| 25 |  North Korea |
10 | 5 | 10 | 25 |
| 26 |  West Germany |
9 | 13 | 19 | 41 |
| 27 |  East Germany |
8 | 23 | 23 | 54 |
| 28 |  Kyrgyzstan |
8 | 5 | 13 | 26 |
| 29 | Serbia |
8 | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 30 |  Mongolia |
7 | 28 | 44 | 79 |
| 31 | Kazakhstan |
7 | 21 | 35 | 63 |
| 32 |  Belarus |
6 | 17 | 27 | 50 |
| 33 | Uzbekistan |
6 | 11 | 22 | 39 |
| 34 |  Yugoslavia |
5 | 19 | 17 | 41 |
| 35 | Denmark |
5 | 8 | 10 | 23 |
| 36 |  Moldova |
4 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| 37 | Russian Wrestling Federation |
4 | 5 | 9 | 18 |
| 38 |  Italy |
3 | 8 | 12 | 23 |
| 39 |  Czechoslovakia |
3 | 6 | 11 | 20 |
| 40 |  Venezuela |
3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| 41 |  Egypt |
3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| – |  Individual Neutral Athletes |
3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 42 |  Estonia |
2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 43 |  India |
1 | 5 | 17 | 23 |
| 44 |  Chinese Taipei |
1 | 5 | 6 | 12 |
| 45 |  Greece |
1 | 3 | 12 | 16 |
| 46 |  Israel |
1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 47 |  Bahrain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 48 | Albania |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 49 |  Belgium |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 50 |  Slovakia |
0 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 51 |  Czech Republic |
0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 52 |  Puerto Rico |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 53 |  Nigeria |
0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 54 |  Lithuania |
0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 55 |  Latvia |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 Netherlands |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 57 | Croatia |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 58 |  Lebanon |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 North Macedonia |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Tajikistan |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 61 |  Brazil |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Tunisia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Turkmenistan |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 64 |  Spain |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
 Switzerland |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 66 |  Bohemia |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Colombia |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
 Pakistan |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 69 |  Argentina |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Chile |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Ecuador |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Great Britain |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 San Marino |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Syria |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 United World Wrestling |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (75 entries) | 1,243 | 1,235 | 1,639 | 4,117 | |
- Countries shown in italics no longer exist as they did when they won medals.
Team Titles by Country
This table shows which countries have won the most team championships in each wrestling style. A team title means that the wrestlers from that country earned the most points overall in their style.
| Country | FS | GR | FW | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union |
22 | 26 | 0 | 48 |
| Russia |
13 | 14 | 2 | 29 |
| Japan |
0 | 0 | 27 | 27 |
| Turkey |
5 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| United States |
5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Iran |
5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Azerbaijan |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Georgia |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| China |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Russian Wrestling Federation |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Bulgaria |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Cuba |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hungary |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Norway |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Sweden |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Wrestlers with Many Gold Medals
Some wrestlers have won many gold medals at the World Championships. Here are some of the most successful athletes who have won at least 5 gold medals. The names in bold are wrestlers who are still competing.
Top Men's Freestyle Wrestlers
| Rank | Wrestler | Country | Weights | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentin Yordanov | Bulgaria |
52 kg | 1983 | 1995 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Medved | Soviet Union |
+87 kg / 97 kg / +97 kg / +100 kg | 1961 | 1971 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Sergei Beloglazov | Soviet Union |
57 kg / 62 kg | 1979 | 1987 | 6 | 1 | – | 7 |
| Arsen Fadzaev | Soviet Union |
68 kg / 74 kg | 1983 | 1991 | 6 | 1 | – | 7 | |
| Abdulrashid Sadulaev | Russia Russian Wrestling Federation Individual Neutral Athletes |
86 kg / 97 kg / 92 kg | 2014 | 2024 | 6 | 1 | – | 7 | |
| 6 | Jordan Burroughs | United States |
74 kg / 79 kg | 2011 | 2022 | 6 | – | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Buvaisar Saitiev | Russia |
74 kg / 76 kg | 1995 | 2005 | 6 | – | – | 6 |
| 8 | Makharbek Khadartsev | Soviet Union Russia |
90 kg | 1986 | 1995 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Khadzhimurat Gatsalov | Russia |
96 kg / 120 kg / 125 kg | 2005 | 2014 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Ali Aliev | Soviet Union |
52 kg / 57 kg | 1959 | 1967 | 5 | 1 | – | 6 |
| 11 | Leri Khabelov | Soviet Union Russia |
100 kg / 130 kg | 1985 | 1995 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
| 12 | Abdollah Movahed |  Iran |
70 kg / 68 kg | 1965 | 1970 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
Top Men's Greco-Roman Wrestlers
| Rank | Wrestler | Country | Weights | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandr Karelin | Soviet Union Russia |
130 kg | 1989 | 1999 | 9 | – | – | 9 |
| 2 | Hamid Sourian | Iran |
55 kg / 59 kg | 2005 | 2014 | 6 | – | – | 6 |
| 3 | Rıza Kayaalp | Turkey |
120 kg / 130 kg | 2009 | 2023 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Mijaín López | Cuba |
120 kg / 130 kg | 2005 | 2015 | 5 | 3 | – | 8 |
| 5 | Gogi Koguashvili | Russia |
90 kg / 97 kg | 1993 | 1999 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Nikolay Balboshin | Soviet Union |
100 kg | 1973 | 1979 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
| Viktor Igumenov | Soviet Union |
78 kg / 74 kg | 1966 | 1971 | 5 | – | – | 5 | |
| Valery Rezantsev | Soviet Union |
90 kg | 1970 | 1975 | 5 | – | – | 5 | |
| Aleksandar Tomov |  Bulgaria |
+100 kg | 1971 | 1979 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
Top Women's Freestyle Wrestlers
| Rank | Wrestler | Country | Weights | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saori Yoshida | Japan |
55 kg / 53 kg | 2002 | 2015 | 13 | – | – | 13 |
| 2 | Kaori Ichō | Japan |
63 kg / 58 kg | 2002 | 2015 | 10 | – | – | 10 |
| 3 | Hitomi Obara (Sakamoto) | Japan |
51 kg / 48 kg | 2000 | 2011 | 8 | – | – | 8 |
| 4 | Christine Nordhagen |  Canada |
70 kg / 68 kg / 75 kg | 1993 | 2001 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 | Yayoi Urano | Japan |
75 kg / 70 kg / 65 kg | 1990 | 1996 | 6 | 1 | – | 7 |
| 6 | Adeline Gray | United States |
67 kg / 72 kg / 75 kg / 76 kg | 2011 | 2023 | 6 | – | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Kyōko Hamaguchi | Japan |
75 kg / 72 kg | 1997 | 2010 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 8 | Zhong Xiue | China |
44 kg / 47 kg / 46 kg | 1991 | 1999 | 5 | 2 | – | 7 |
| 9 | Shoko Yoshimura | Japan |
44 kg | 1987 | 1996 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Liu Dongfeng | China |
75 kg | 1991 | 1997 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 |
| Stanka Zlateva | Bulgaria |
72 kg | 2006 | 2011 | 5 | – | 1 | 6 | |
| 12 | Nikola Hartmann |  Austria |
61 kg / 62 kg | 1993 | 2000 | 5 | – | – | 5 |
More About Wrestling
- Wrestling World Cup
- U17 World Wrestling Championships
- U23 World Wrestling Championships
- World Wrestling Clubs Cup
- World Beach Wrestling Championships
- List of World Championships medalists in wrestling (freestyle)
- List of World Championships medalists in wrestling (Greco-Roman)
- List of World Championships medalists in wrestling (women)
- List of World and Olympic Champions in men's freestyle wrestling
- List of World and Olympic Champions in Greco-Roman wrestling
- List of World and Olympic Champions in women's freestyle wrestling
See also
In Spanish: Campeonato Mundial de Lucha para niños
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