Now, India’s foreign participation is messed up because of wrestling?

CHENNAI: The uncertainty surrounding Indian wrestling has already affected the domestic schedule, with only one event being held in the first six months of this year. In the last six months, neither kids nor seniors have been to a national camp. Both wrestlers and their trainers are upset. And it looks like this is now also making it hard for Indian wrestlers to compete abroad.

The ad-hoc panel that runs the day-to-day business of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) finally announced on Wednesday that the Asian Games selection trials will be place on July 22 and 23. The long delay in making the news not only made it hard for the wrestlers to get ready and train, but it also forced them to pull out of international competitions. The crisis is not just the fault of the ad hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association. It is also the fault of the sports minister and the Sports Authority of India.

Even though there is only a two-day gap between the trials and the U-15 and U-20 Asian Championships, which are currently going on in Amman City, Jordan, two wrestlers, including Antim Panghal, who won India’s first-ever U-20 World Championships gold medal, have decided to pull out of the continental tournament for different reasons. Sumit, a 60kg Greco-Roman wrestler, has also chosen not to compete.

A skilled woman wrestler who won gold at the U-17 World Championships and the Asian Championships in the past is also likely to pull out of the event.It is known that Antim told the ad-hoc group that she was leaving because of health problems. Sumit has also told the panel what he has decided.

The U-20 games will start on July 16. “The Greco-Roman team went today (Thursday), and the freestyle wrestlers for both men and women are set to leave on July 15 and July 17, respectively. When the event ends on July 20, most of the wrestlers will go back home the next day. On July 22, the trials will begin. How can you expect someone to be able to play back-to-back in such a tough game? Besides, travel can tyre you out. “The wrestlers may have given different reasons, but they don’t want to risk their chance to compete in the Asiad trials, so they are pulling out of the continental event,” a wrestling teacher told this newspaper.

Notably, the ad-hoc panel has stated the date but has not yet come up with the criteria for participation.”The sport has already been hurt a lot by the ongoing debate over the last six months, and this will keep happening as long as the panel seems to be looking out for the best interests of a small group of wrestlers. Wrestling has always helped the country win medals at important games like the Olympics, but this mess could make that less likely,” the coach said.