President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has challenged Team Nigeria’s wrestlers to compete with patriotism, commitment and determination as preparations intensify for the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Adeniyi delivered the message during a visit to the national team’s training camp in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where the wrestlers have been in closed camping ahead of the global championship scheduled for October 24 to November 1.
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The NWF president was particularly impressed that the athletes remained in camp through Nigeria’s October 1 Independence Day holiday, describing their decision to continue training as evidence of the commitment required when representing the country internationally.
Adeniyi wants that attitude carried onto the mat in Astana, urging the wrestlers to use the World Championships to demonstrate Nigeria’s strength against the sport’s elite.
The current camp is part of a broader preparation programme. Nigeria previously organised an intensive camp in the United States, where wrestlers trained and competed in dual meets against athletes from NCAA Division I programmes, giving the team valuable exposure to high-level opposition.
Back home, closed camps were subsequently established in Bayelsa and Ondo States, with women’s national team head coach and NWF Technical Committee chairman Akuh Purity explaining that the programme was designed to sharpen the wrestlers physically, technically and tactically.
Nigeria head to Kazakhstan with strong continental credentials after another impressive outing at the 2026 African Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, where the women’s team won eight gold medals and two silver medals, while Harrison Onovwiomogbhwo delivered Nigeria’s gold in men’s freestyle.
There is, however, an important correction regarding the Olympic pathway: the 2026 World Championships in Astana are not an LA 2028 qualification tournament. United World Wrestling has confirmed that the 2027 Senior World Championships in Las Vegas, scheduled for September 11–19, will serve as the first wrestling qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
That makes Astana an important global test and building block rather than a direct Olympic qualifier.
For Adeniyi, the immediate assignment remains clear: represent Nigeria with pride in Kazakhstan, measure themselves against the world’s best and use Astana to strengthen the foundation for the road to Los Angeles 2028.
