Cloud over Asian wrestling meet

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 6

There are a lot of anxious faces at the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) office. Reason: New Delhi is to host the July 17-23 Asian Junior Wrestling Championships, but WFI is yet to receive clearance from the Home Ministry. Without this clearance, the foreign wrestlers can’t travel to India.

As per the protocol, the host federation needs to a get three-level clearance to play host to foreign athletes.  Clearances are required from the Ministry of Sports (which is the nodal agency for sports in India), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Of these three, only MHA has not sent WFI a “security clearance”, which is important for foreign nationals to get the Indian visa.

WFI sought this clearance through a letter on May 10 to the section officer of MHA’s foreigners’ division, followed by a second letter on June 18. On June 28, MEA furnished its ‘No Objection’, subject to clearances from MHA and the Sports Ministry.

WFI sent another reminder to MHA on Friday, this time through email, seeking an urgent response. “As hosts, it is our duty to get all the clearances from our government,” a WFI source said. “MHA’s clearance is must as without it, no Indian embassy abroad will grant a visa to travel to India.”

Due to the delay, wrestling officials from countries such as Iran, Uzbekistan and Japan — all Asian wrestling superpowers — have been calling up WFI to find out the cause of the delay, which is holding up their travel plans.

“But we have not got any feedback about why the clearance is not being issued,” the WFI source said. “Big teams like Japan and Iran want to come by July 15, which is the first day for the teams to arrive. Now we’re heading into the weekend, so another three days are gone. It will be touch and go for some of the countries to get the visa in time. I hope this issue gets sorted in time because if it doesn’t, it will reflect badly on us as hosts.”