Arman Avanesyan Nominated for IWGA Athlete of the Year 2025

Armenian SAMBO athlete Arman Avanesyan has been nominated for the prestigious The World Games Athlete of the Year 2025 award, established by the International World Games Association (IWGA). His candidacy was put forward by the International SAMBO Federation following an outstanding 2025 season.

In total, 30 athletes and duos from various sports were included in the list of nominees. Each represents their respective international federation and was recognized for exceptional achievements in 2025. Avanesyan is the only SAMBO representative and the sole athlete from Armenia among the nominees.

The year 2025 became one of the most successful seasons in Avanesyan’s career. In the spring, he won the gold medal at the European Combat SAMBO Championships, demonstrating a high level of preparation and consistency on the international stage.

The highlight of the season was the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, where Avanesyan claimed victory in the under 98 kg weight category in combat SAMBO. This achievement was historic both for the athlete himself and for Armenian SAMBO as a whole. These results were recognized by the IWGA, which named Avanesyan Athlete of the Month.

Later that year, Avanesyan also reached the podium at the World SAMBO Championships in Kyrgyzstan, where he won a bronze medal

Professional MMA Debut

In addition to his SAMBO career, Avanesyan successfully tested himself in mixed martial arts in 2025. He made his professional MMA debut in the heavyweight division, securing a technical knockout victory over Ali Aryael (0–1) at the Mix Fight event held in Yerevan.

Voting Begins on January 12

Voting for the World Games Athlete of the Year 2025 will begin on January 12, 2026, at 12:00 GMT and will continue until February 2. A mid-campaign cut will take place on January 26, when only the top 10 candidates will advance to the final stage, after which the vote count will be reset.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, IWGA President José Perurena noted that the Athlete of the Year award attracts increasing attention each year and reflects the diversity of sports and cultures represented at the World Games.

The International SAMBO Federation has called on fans and the global sports community to support Arman Avanesyan, emphasizing that his nomination is not only a personal honor but also an important step in promoting SAMBO worldwide.

Voting is conducted on the official World Games website and is open to fans around the globe.

Nominees for The World Games Athlete of the Year 2025

• 1. Air Sport – Yuki Hashimoto (JPN)
• 2. Archery – Andrea Becerra (MEX)
• 3. Beach Handball – Gisella Bonomi (ARG)
• 4. Billiards – Gerson Martinez (PER)
• 5. Boules Sports – Mouna Beji (TUN)
• 6. Canoe – Melina Andersson (SWE)
• 7. Cheerleading – Emily Growdon and Shayla Myerscough (AUS)
• 8. DanceSport – Marius Andrei Balan and Khrystyna Moshenska (GER)
• 9. Fistball – Gabriel Heck (BRA)
• 10. Flag Football – Victoria Chavez (MEX)
• 11. Floorball – Filip Langer (CZE)
• 12. Flying Disc – Kya Wiya (AUS)
• 13. Gymnastics – Ethan McGuinness (AUS)
• 14. Ju-Jitsu – Bohdan Mochulskyi (UKR)
• 15. Kickboxing – Federica Trovalusci (ITA)
• 16. Korfball – Ying-Ting Huang (TPE)
• 17. Lacrosse – Marie McCool (USA)
• 18. Life Saving – Nina Holt (GER)
• 19. Muaythai – Laura Burgos (MEX)
• 20. Orienteering – Yannick Michiels (BEL)
• 21. Racquetball – María José Vergas (ARG)
• 22. Roller Sports – Jhoan Guzman (ESP)
• 23. Sambo – Arman Avanesyan (ARM)
• 24. Softball – Tiare Jennings (USA)
• 25. Sport Climbing – Shou Hong Chu and Jian Guo Long (CHN)
• 26. Squash – Satomi Watanabe (JPN)
• 27. Tug of War – Chia-Jung Tien (TPE)
• 28. Underwater Sports – Dengxi Long (CHN)
• 29. Wakesurf – Jett Lambert (USA)
• 30. Wushu – Loan Drouard (FRA)