GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB – Wrestlers from all over the country will travel to Grande Prairie, Alberta, April 24-26, for the 2026 Canadian Wrestling Championships (U19, U17, U15) at the Design Works Centre. Last year, Alberta also hosted the event in Tsuut’ina Nation where the most ever competitors took part. The event will look to build on last year’s success when it rolls into Grande Prairie.

It will be an action packed three days as there will be 12 weight classes for each of the three age groups in Men’s Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling, Men’s Greco-Roman and Women’s Greco-Roman.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the 2026 Canadian Wrestling Championships to Grande Prairie, where the local organizing committee has demonstrated a true commitment to delivering a world-class event,” said Tamara Medwidsky, WCL, CEO. “These championships are a celebration of the future of our sport, showcasing the next generation of Canadian wrestling talent in the U19, U17, and U15 divisions. On behalf of Wrestling Canada Lutte, we are grateful to the Grande Prairie community for their outstanding support and cannot wait to see the action begin!”

“We could not be more thrilled to be a part of hosting the 2026 Canadian Wrestling Championships,” said Nicole Kotyk, Community Connections Liaison, City of Grande Prairie. “This opportunity is not only a chance for us to showcase our beautiful city, and all it has to offer, but it also allows the amazing athletes and coaches in our local club to get to compete on home turf, with a home crowd, and show this city what an amazing program they have, and what an amazing sport wrestling is. We hope this is just the start of our partnership with Wrestling Canada Lutte!”

The event will feature many competitors who have already made a name for themselves and represented Canada at international competitions. The list includes some recent medalists from the U17 Pan-American (Pan-Am) Championships earlier this month. Surrey, British Columbia’s Uday Billen, from Rustom Wrestling Club, will be in action at 125kg in the U19 category. Billen recently captured his second straight silver medal at the U17 Pan-Ams in Panama. Another name to watch on the men’s side will be Saskatoon’s Tyler Langford. Langford, from Saskatoon Junior Huskies, also competed in Panama and earned a silver medal. He will compete in Grande Prairie at 92kg in the U19 age group.

As for the women, Surrey’s Gurleen Dhillon will be in action, fresh off a silver medal of her own from the 2026 Pan-Ams. Dhillon, from Canadian Mal Wrestling Club, will look to build on her momentum when she competes in the women’s U17 57kg weight class.

There will be many wrestlers in action representing their home province of Alberta. Two are coming off bronze medal performances from the Pan-Ams. On the men’s side, Calgary’s Jack Aucoin, The Roc, will compete in the U19 48kg division. Meanwhile, for the women, Calgary’s Maya Naicker, Alberta Elite Women’s Wrestling Club, will be in action in the U17 43kg weight class.

As for the host city, Grande Prairie will sport a local contingent that includes Jaren Alaimoana. Alaimoana has found the podium at the national level in the past, earning silver at the 2024 Canadian Wrestling Championships in the U17 age group and at the 2025 Canadian Wrestling Championships as a cadet.

Spectators are invited to attend any of the sessions, tickets are available at the door or in advance online. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. on all three competition days. The event will also be streamed on FloWrestling. For complete tournament information, visit the tournament site.