OTTAWA – Canada’s capital has been selected by United World Wrestling to host the 2020 Pan-American Olympic Qualification Tournament and Senior Pan-American Championships in March.

Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) will host the Senior Pan-Am Championships March 6 to 9, and the Olympic Games Qualification Tournament the following weekend from March 13 to 15. Both events will be held at the Shaw Centre, a premier facility located in downtown Ottawa.

Events in women’s, men’s Freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman wrestling will take place at both competitions. The Championships will host all ten United World Wrestling weight-classes in each style, while the Olympic Qualifier will hold competition in each of the six Olympic weight-classes.

The Pan-Am Olympic Qualification Tournament is an important stop on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with the top two finishers in each weight class securing a quota spot for their country at the Olympics.

Canadians will be selected to represent Team Canada at the Olympic Qualification Tournament by winning the Canadian Wrestling Trials, taking place in Niagara, Ont., December 5-7, 2019. Any Canadian finishing in the top two at the Olympic Qualification Tournament will be nominated to represent Canada at the Olympic Games.

“Hosting 2020 Pan-American Olympic Qualification Tournament and Senior Pan-American Championships in a row is a challenge, however, I have every confidence that Ottawa and Wrestling Canada Lutte will deliver excellent events for our athletes, coaches and fans,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic.

“Wrestling Canada Lutte is thrilled to have been selected to host two first-class wrestling events in our nation’s capital,” said WCL President Don Ryan. “These events are an excellent opportunity to showcase the sport of wrestling to Canadians and provide Pan-American athletes, coaches, and team delegations with a world-class event experience.”

“WCL would like to thank the city of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, Sport Canada, as well as event hosts, including the Shaw Centre, the Westin Ottawa and the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel for their partnership and support. Our aim is to host a world-class event and give our team the best possible experience and opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games”, added Tamara Medwidsky, Executive Director.

“The Shaw Centre is proud to be a partner in hosting this premier event and is excited to welcome the top athletes from the Americas to our world-class facility this spring. As the host venue for this competition, we are honoured to have a part of the Canadian team’s journey to Tokyo 2020,” said Shaw Centre, President and CEO, Nina Kressler.

“Ottawa Tourism is excited to be working with Wrestling Canada Lutte to welcome the prestigious 2020 Pan Am Wrestling Championships and Olympic Qualification Tournament to Ottawa in March 2020 to the Shaw Centre,” said Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “These events present a fantastic opportunity to show off the destination on a world stage and highlight the diversity of sporting and winter offerings in Ottawa. We are proud to host an Olympic Qualification event, as events of this calibre show off our destination’s world-class venues and ability to host important, reputable sporting competitions.”

Complete event information including event schedule and registration information will be distributed in the coming weeks.