Croatia has become one of the most active hot spots for Greco-Roman wrestling in the world and that trend will continue later this month with the Valamar Cup in Porec.
Previously, the Valamar Cup had one iteration that was offered to age-group competitors; but when the event gets underway on September 27th, the focus will reside solely on the Seniors. The timing of the tournament for 2024 (as well as its attached training camp) is especially notable, for both the U23 and Senior non-Olympic weight World Championships take place in October (Tirana, ALB).
Croatia has for years been established as a preferred training and competitive destination for Greco-Roman athletes due to the country’s annual Grand Prix Zagreb Open (which most seasons is designated as a United World Wrestling “Ranking Series” event) and several multi-national training camps. There has also been the Croatia Open, an age-group tournament that typically attracts many top young European athletes.
In particular over the past three seasons, Croatia has ascended to even greater heights when it comes to availing options for World-caliber wrestlers.
The Croatia Wrestling Federation ran both their national domestic championship and the Zagreb Open in the fall of ’20, which was during a time in the sport when competitions were scarce. Additionally, the federation’s vast training facility in Porec quickly filled a gap that had gone missing in the wake of various restrictive COVID guidelines which were commonplace elsewhere around Europe. Elite wrestlers from neighboring countries and far-away regions alike began funneling into Porec in an effort to gain valuable mat time as a means of preparation for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. And ever since the decline of the pandemic, Porec has remained one of the most desirable landing spots for high-level training on the planet. Then later in ’21, Croatia unveiled the Premier First Croatia Wrestling League, a venture that is not unlike Germany’s long-running Bundesliga.
Thus, the Valamar Cup can be seen as an extension of Croatia’s reach across the international landscape.
2024 Valamar Cup Details
The ’24 Valamar Cup will include two disciplines, Greco-Roman and women’s freestyle, with both being contested on Saturday, September 28th. This means that the tournament is scheduled to observe the single-day format with weigh-ins taking place in the morning. The accompanying training camp is extensive and will run from Monday, September 29 all the way until Saturday, October 12.
Nearly every powerhouse program in the sport has been invited to compete in the Valamar Cup such as (not counting host country Croatia): Azerbaijan, Belarus, Denmark, Czechia, Iran, Japan, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Uzbekistan, and Turkiye. A full entry list of competitors has not yet been released. When it is, you will find it on this platform along with information on how to view the event live.
2024 Valamar Cup
September 28 — Porec, CRO
*All times +6 hours ET
11:00am-2:00pm — Qualification rounds through semifinals
4:30pm-8:00pm — Repechage, finals, & bronze-medal rounds
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