Wrestlers likely to miss Asian, World championships

Indian wrestlers are facing an uncertain future after failing to participate in two Ranking Series events this month. Due to delays in clearance from the Sports Ministry, India missed the Zagreb Open and Muhamet Malo tournaments. As a result, the team has not been fielded, and the same issue may arise ahead of the Asian Championships scheduled for March 25-30 in Amman, Jordan.

A miffed Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is mulling to not field a team at all in the Continental Championships after they have been served a total bill of around Rs 45 lakh by the organisers of Zagreb and Malo tournaments. As a rule federations are automatically charged boarding and lodging fees after sending entries for both the tournaments.

The World Championships is scheduled to be held in the month of September in Zagreb, Serbia.

“We are waiting to see what the Sports Ministry decides this time. We have already been billed Rs 45 lakh for the two Ranking series where we could not field the teams despite sending the team entries,” WFI president Sanjay Singh told The Tribune on Wednesday.

“We may choose not to send the entries this time for the Asian Championships at all. We send entries but the team cannot travel and we end up paying money. Not sending teams to championships has hurt both India and Wrestling Federation of India’s image abroad,” he added.

Some of the wrestlers who were to travel to Albania tried to meet Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya seeking his intervention in the matter last Saturday but failed to see him.

A wrestler said such issues will force them to take a harsher stance. “Our morale is down. There is no clarity on whether we will participate or not because of a court order. We are losing crucial exposure. I do not know how much of this we can take,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

The minister had intervened last year after the WFI withdrew the team from the World Championships after contempt proceedings were filed by protesting wrestlers at the Delhi High Court.

Satyawart Kadian and few others had approached the court after the WFI held trials to select the team stating that the body cannot select teams as it has been suspended by the sports ministry. The minister then had assured the WFI president that he will try to help diffuse this confusion but the standing order of suspension has not been recalled yet.