Guwahati, 03 July (HS): The Pro Panja League officially expanded its presence to Assam on Friday, while announcing that 18 armwrestlers from the state have been selected to represent India at the 47th World Armwrestling Championship and the 28th Para Armwrestling Championship, scheduled to be held in New Delhi later this year.

The announcement was made during a media interaction in a Guwahati hotel by Pro Panja League Co-founder Parvinn Dabass, People's Armwrestling Federation India (PAFI) President and Asian Armwrestling Federation Vice President Preeti Jhangiani and People's Armwrestling Association Assam President Kailash Sarma. The event also featured an interaction with Assam's members of Team India.

The Assam athletes selected for the Indian contingent are Debangana Bordoloi, Sumit Mali, Ujjal Gogoi, Dimpal Kalita, Payal Bhowmick, Anisha Sarma, Kumalika Das, Ismritom Boruah, Raj Hazarika, Rituraj Pandey, Bittu Kalita, Parishmita Gogoi, Anju Kumari, Monoj Debnath, Kritika Das, Nayan Bora, Diganta Kumar Phukan and Mrinmoy Patgiri. Among them, Parishmita Gogoi, Payal Bhowmick and Rituraj Pandey have also secured Golden Tickets to the Pro Panja League.

The World Armwrestling and Para Armwrestling Championships will be held at the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in New Delhi from October 26 to November 7, 2026 and are expected to attract more than 2,000 athletes from over 75 countries. India previously hosted the Asian Armwrestling and Para Armwrestling Championship in 2025, where the country finished second with 176 medals.

Addressing the gathering, Preeti Jhangiani described the upcoming World Championships as a landmark moment for Indian armwrestling and said Assam's athletes would play a significant role in the country's campaign. She assured that PAFI would provide full support to the selected players during their preparations.

Parvinn Dabass said Assam has consistently produced exceptional armwrestling talent and that the arrival of the Pro Panja League would provide athletes with a professional platform, structured rankings, prize money and a pathway into the national team. He expressed satisfaction that three Assam athletes had already earned Golden Tickets to the league.

Kailash Sarma said the recognition of 18 Assam players in the Indian squad was a matter of immense pride for the state, adding that the Pro Panja League would offer local armwrestlers greater exposure and competitive opportunities.

The Guwahati announcement forms part of the Pro Panja League's nationwide expansion ahead of the World Championships, with the selected Assam athletes now entering an intensive training phase supported by both the league and PAFI.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash