Stepan Sargsyan Cup 2026 draw held: Armenia’s lineup for the opening day
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
The draw for the 26th Stepan Sargsyan International Freestyle Wrestling Tournament was held in Yerevan on September 10. The first bouts will take place on September 11.
A total of 181 wrestlers from 15 countries will compete in one of the major international wrestling tournaments held in Armenia.
The Armenian national team will be represented by nearly all of the country’s leading wrestlers. Among those entered are Vazgen Tevanyan, Arman Andreasyan, Manvel Khndzrtsyan, Khachatur Khachatryan and other members of the national team.
On the opening day of competition, September 11, wrestlers in the 57, 65, 74, 86 and 97 kg weight categories will take to the mat. The qualification rounds will begin at 11:00 Yerevan time, while the semifinals are scheduled for 16:30.
Armenia’s lineup for September 11
57 kg: Manvel Khndzrtsyan, Ashot Gyulnazaryan.
65 kg: Tigran Ghazaryan, Hrachya Margaryan, Hayk Abrahamyan, Hayko Gasparyan, Aren Hayrapetyan.
74 kg: Narek Harutyunyan, Vladimir Azaryan.
86 kg: Razmik Yepremyan, Mihran Amiryan.
97 kg: Igor Sargsyan, Martin Simonyan, Gurgen Simonyan.
Armenia’s wrestlers will face strong competition from a number of decorated international athletes. The field includes world champion Zahid Valencia of the United States, world and European champion Abasgadzhi Magomedov of Russia, European champion Ibragim Ibragimov of Russia, as well as several other well-known wrestlers.
The Armenian government has allocated more than 25 million drams to the Wrestling Federation of Armenia for the organization and staging of the tournament.
A cash prize fund has also been established. The winner in each weight category will receive $2,000, the silver medalist will earn $1,000, while the bronze medalist will receive $500.
The official opening ceremony and the first part of the finals will take place on September 12 from 17:00. The second part of the finals is scheduled for September 13, starting at 13:00.
The Stepan Sargsyan Cup holds a special place in Armenian wrestling. It is the only wrestling competition held in Armenia that is included in the official calendar of United World Wrestling (UWW).
The 26th Stepan Sargsyan International Tournament will be one of the biggest wrestling events hosted by Armenia in 2026.