Leon Rattigan is one of Britain's brightest talents in the sport

British wrestlers will compete against some of the world's best on home soil in July at the GB Cup.

The event was cancelled last year after UK Sport cut 68% of wrestling's funding but they have provided money to enable this year's tournament to go ahead.

"The GB Cup is popular with wrestlers worldwide, and a big tournament for our own competitors," said GB Wrestling chairman Malcolm Morley.

The tournament will be held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield on 16-17 July.

British wrestling has enjoyed some success in recent months with Ukrainian-born Yana Stadnik, 22, winning silver in the women's 48kg category at the 2010 European Championships.

"Our wrestlers, such as Yana, and Leon Rattigan, have been doing really well in international competitions, and competing against the very best in front of a home crowd will be a great experience," added Morley.

"This is a fantastic opportunity two years before the London Olympics and it's fantastic that we are back in business this year.

"Last year we were victims of our own popularity, in that we had lots of interest, we were ready to stage the tournament, but then had to call it off, reluctantly, because we couldn't meet all the associated costs, following a cutback in funding.

"But this year we have been given the support of UK Sport, which is fantastic."

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