Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and two-time world championships medallist Vinesh Phogat have been granted a direct entry to compete at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou. The decision comes after the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) ad-hoc committee conferred with national coaches and experts over the last week.
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The exemption from selection trials was based on the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) regulations for the Asian Games, which allow for iconic players like Olympic or World Championship medallists to be considered without going through trials.
Notably, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, both won gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and were the only Indian wrestlers to secure medals in the World Championships last year.
The decision, however, has stirred controversy as it wasn’t extended to four other wrestlers, Sakshi Malik, Satyawart Kadian, Sangeeta Phogat, and Jitendra Kinha. Notably, all four wrestlers had actively protested against former wrestling federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations.
The selection trials for all 18 weight categories, including those of Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, will still be conducted. The winners will be kept as standbys.
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Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya was also discussed for exemption from the trials by the ad-hoc committee, given his impressive performance. However, Dahiya will have to participate in the trials due to a knee injury that has affected him this year. He spent the last six months in rehabilitation and had to miss the Asian Championships and the Bishkek ranking series event in May due to discomfort during warm-up sessions.
Wrestlers request extension to prepare for trials
The six wrestlers who were involved in the protest have written to the union sports ministry, requesting time until August 10 to prepare for the Asian Games trials. In response, the IOA has approached the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to grant an extension until August 5 to finalize the wrestling squad list for the Asian Games. The OCA, however, has granted only a week’s extension, and the IOA is required to submit the wrestling squad list by July 23.
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