Protesting wrestlers to be allowed to compete in Asian Games trials

Wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar (Pic: AFP)

The ad-hoc panel of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is likely to allow the state wrestling associations to field deserving candidates in the Asian Games trials even if they do not meet the criteria of being a medal winner in one of the stipulated tournaments as per the new selection policy for the quadrennial extravaganza. The Asian Games trials are expected to be held in the third week of June. The final date will be notified this week.

Postponed due to COVID-19 last year, the Asian Games are now set to unfold in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 23.

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The WFI had last year devised a policy which allowed only the medal winners from the National Championships, the national ranking tournaments, Federation Cup and international tournaments, apart from talented juniors, to compete in the trials. Ad-hoc panel member Bhupendra Singh Bajwa had initially suggested open trials but the coaches and referees advised them to restrict it to medal prospects only, according to IOA sources.

"It would have been very difficult to finish the trials in the stipulated time if open trials were conducted. It was proposed that if any state association feels it has a worthy candidate who does not meet the criteria of being a medallist, it can field such candidate in the Asian Games trials," the source told PTI.

If all the state associations field candidates of their choice in each of the 10 categories in all three styles, the number of participants will rise considerably.

Meanwhile, it was also ruled that elite wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who are staging a sit-in protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, will not be stopped from competing in the trials.

"In fact, it was not even mentioned or discussed if there was any restriction on their participation in the wake of the protest. Mr Bajwa wanted to give every deserving candidate a fair chance to stake his claim for selection in the Indian team," said a source who was part of the meeting.

Many women wrestlers are uncomfortable joining the national camp at Lucknow SAI centre and many parents do not want the nodal sports body to hold a combined men's and women's camp in Sonepat.

"This combined national camp was discussed at the meeting. It was brought to the notice of the panel members that parents of women wrestlers were not in favour of their daughters training alongside the men's wrestlers in Sonepat. The parents fear that 'cases of love affairs' may rise if that happens. This was precisely the reason why the WFI had separated the two camps in 2013," said the source.

The women wrestlers are comfortable training at Delhi's IG stadium but it does not have a hostel to accommodate them. The SAI centre in Patiala does not have a wrestling hall as it was merged with the weightlifting hall.

"There is an option of holding the national camp for women in Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat) but it remains to be seen if the athletes agree to go that far. It was also proposed that the men's wresters be sent to Lucknow and the women train in Sonepat but the coaches and referees did not agree to that," the source said.

(With PTI inputs)