A day after the draw for the Zagreb Open was out, with no Indian, the ad-hoc panel announced a 13-member team for the tournament on Tuesday. But it’s a shame that there would be no representation for India in five categories, as Bajrang Punia, Antim Panghal and three others opted out of the tournament.
As per reports, Antim, who is a World Championships bronze medalist, decided to give the tournament as miss, to attend the National Sports Awards ceremony.
“We had sought the consent of the wrestlers who were part of the Asian Games squad and only 13 gave their consent while five others didn’t,” Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, the head of the ad-hoc panel, told PTI.
As for Bajrang Punia, he said, that the wrestler is yet to begin his training. “I had recently undergone a thumb surgery. I have not yet started mat training. There is no point going to a tournament without proper practice. I have resumed fitness training though,” Bajrang told PTI.
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India Squad for Zagreb Open
Men Freestyle: Aman (57kg); Yash (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Vicky (97kg) and Sumit (125kg)
Greco-Roman: Gyanender (60kg), Neeraj (67kg), Vikas (77kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Narinder Cheema (97kg) and Naveen (130kg)
Women: Sonam (62kg) and Radhika (68kg)
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