THE KENYA ARMWRESTLING FEDERATION :
We are the Kenya Armwrestling Federation (KAF), a non-profit sports organisation established in accordance with the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the Sports Act (2013). We are proudly affiliated with the World Armwrestling Federation
(WAF) and the Armwrestling Federation of Africa
(AFA).
The Kenya Armwrestling Federation is the sole nationally and internationally recognised body governing, developing, and promoting the sport of armwrestling in Kenya. It is our duty and responsibility to include and oversee all athletes, regardless of gender, age, or disability.
OUR VISION is to position Kenya as a dominant force in global armwrestling through world-class athlete development, strategic partnerships, and competitive excellence.
OUR MISSION is to govern, develop and promote the development of armwrestling in Kenya, ensuring adherence to international standards, organising national and regional competitions, and supporting athletes to excel nationally and internationally, while fostering a culture of sportsmanship and excellence.
ABOUT ARMWRESTLING :
Over the past several years, armwrestling has experienced tremendous growth in participation and fan interest, both globally and in Africa.
The 46th World Armwrestling Championships held in Albena, Bulgaria in September 2025 hosted over 1,500 competitors from more than 60 countries. The 15th African Armwrestling Championships, held in Accra, Ghana in May 2026, featured 600+ participants from over 20 African nations. Armwrestling was also included for the first time in the 13th All-Africa Games in Accra, Ghana (2024) and is set to feature again in the upcoming All-Africa Games set for Cairo, Egypt in 2027.
Para-Armwrestling has now met the worldwide reach requirement for inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games, following official confirmation from the International Paralympic Committee.
This achievement reflects years of dedication, development, and strong global collaboration, the application will now be presented to the IPC Governing Board, with further updates expected in the coming months. It is a very exciting time for armwrestling with a very bright future filled with opportunities for all.
THE HISTORY OF ARMWRESTLING :
Ancient Times :
Armwrestling history has been traced all the way back to Ancient Egypt, where the first elements of it's existence date back to roughly 2000BC, where hieroglyphs and murals depicted paired fighters locking hands and grappling on walls.
In Japan, the oldest record of armwrestling is found in The Kojiki (or "Records of Ancient Matters"). It is Japan’s oldest surviving written chronicle, completed in 712CE. Armwrestling is called "Udezumo" in Japanese (translating literally to "arm sumo"), it combines the Japanese words for forearm (ude) and fighting (sumo). Udezumo was widely practiced during the Edo-period of Japan, who depicted armwrestling in their art from as early as the 1700s, and was recorded in writing as early as the eighth century. Illustrations unambiguously demonstrate this was the same as modern armwrestling. It is likely that the modern popularity of arm wrestling comes from this Japanese treatment of the sport.
Armwrestling was also practiced by Spaniards and Cubans in the nineteenth century, possibly via the influence of Japanese contact, these armwrestlers would place a piece of money under each elbow and the winner of the match would get the stakes. The Uma of Hawaii (Native Hawaiians) have enjoyed a traditional arm wrestling called "uma" for centuries.
In the United States armwrestling was formerly also called "Indian armwrestling", some sources suggest the practice originated amongst Native American peoples such as the Lenape. A similar sport, "Indian hand-wrestling", attested from the early 20th century and commonly ascribed Native American origins, was conducted standing upright. Both "Indian arm wrestling" (or simply "armwrestling") and "Indian hand wrestling" were popular among Boy Scouts and other American youth in the early to mid 20th century.
Modern and contemporary (1950~)
Modern armwrestling, which is a very popular sport today, originated in America. A young journalist named Bill Soberanes made the biggest steps in popularising armwrestling by holding the first modern style championships on January 27, 1955, at "Diamond Mike" Gilardi's Saloon in Petaluma, California. It's success led to the establishment of an annual event that steadily grew in scale and popularity.
In 1962, the sport was formalised with the creation of the World's Wrist-wrestling Championship, Inc., which hosted the first official World's Wrist-wrestling Championship on 2 February 1962. This marked a pivotal shift from informal local contests to structured, professional tournaments.
Modern organisation (1990~)
Global expansion continued through the efforts of organisations such as the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF), the International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA), and the World Armwrestling League (WAL). While armwrestling's popularity did see modest growth during this time, it still remained a niche sport.
The World Armwrestling Federation (WAF), established in 1977, is the international federation for national and regional armwrestling organisations and serves as the global governing body of the sport. Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, WAF oversees the development of armwrestling on all continents, currently uniting more than 90 member countries and coordinating international competitions and development programmes.
THE OPPORTUNITY :
Because armwrestling is a relatively new sport in Kenya, these early stages offer a unique advantage. With fewer people currently participating, competition is lower, and athletes have had less time to develop their skills. In just a few years, this landscape will change completely.
We expect participation numbers to surge and performance standards to rise significantly as athletes gain more experience and training time. Therefore, the opportunity right now is unmatched, . . . anyone who commits and works hard has a genuine chance to excel and even earn a spot on the National Team in 2027.
. . . THE TIME IS NOW !
Now that Kenya has a legally registered and internationally affiliated armwrestling federation, the path to competing at national, continental, and world championships is fully open. The global movement toward Olympic recognition for armwrestling is well underway. As WAF member countries and continental bodies do their part to make this a reality, the Kenya Armwrestling Federation (KAF) is thrilled to be part of this historic journey.
HOW TO JOIN KAF AND START ARMWRESTLING IN KENYA :
KAF offers several types of memberships to individuals, county associations, institutions and affiliates such as gyms/clubs.
Please contact us at :
for more information as to how you can join us and get started is this explosive exciting new opportunity in Kenya.
COACHING AND REFEREEING COURSES :
When you join KAF we will guide you in the basic rules, techniques and training methods required for you to start your successful armwrestling journey. For affiliate gyms/clubs and institutions, KAF will provide training for your team captains who can then coach and train the members safely and correctly.
KAF will be organising special workshops for both refereeing and coaching, led by top WAF and AFA qualified officials.
If you want to develop these skills, whether to deepen your own knowledge of the sport, to coach athletes, or to become a referee in competitions, please email us at kenyaarmwrestling@gmail.com to join our priority list.
We will ensure you are the first to know about our next workshop so you don't miss out !
ANTI-DOPING AND CLEAN SPORT :
KAF views the use of performance enhancement drugs, prohibited substances and prohibited methods to artificially enhance performance as unethical and contrary to the concept of fair play. It undermines the values sport and can endanger the health of the athletes and therefore strictly forbids it. WAF and AFA (and therefore KAF) officially recognise WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) as the International authority in anti-doping matters. WAF is an official signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC).
KAF will work directly with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), the national regulatory agency for anti-doping in Kenya, to ensure our competitions and the athletes comply with the Anti-Doping Act, 2020 (and its latest updates) as well as the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC).
Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel, and other Persons may be subject to drug testing. Anyone who tests positive or violates any anti-doping rule will face the appropriate disciplinary consequences. Our goal is to protect athletes’ fundamental right to participate in doping-free sport, thereby promoting health, fairness, and equality for all athletes in Kenya.
You can get more information about this subject here :