The WFI ad-hoc panel on July 18 handed Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat direct entries into the Asian Games, a decision which was taken without the consent of the national chief coaches and is set to be challenged by other wrestlers and their coaches.
The IOA ad-hoc panel said in a circular that it has already selected wrestlers in men's freestyle 65kg and women's 53kg but trials will be held in all six weight categories in each of the three styles.
The ad-hoc panel did not name Bajrang and Vinesh in the circular but panel member Ashok Garg confirmed to PTI that the two wrestlers have been exempted from the trials.
"Yes, Bajrang and Vinesh have been exempted from trials," Garg said.
These two wrestlers have done well in 65kg and 53kg categories but due to their protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, they have not competed in any international tournament this year.
At the same time, Sujeet Kalakal and Antim Panghal have logged impressive performances in the same categories.
Antim had become India's first U20 World Champion last year and also won a silver medal at the senior Asian Championship this year.
Sujeet is current U23 and U20 Asian champion. He also won a bronze at the U20 World Championship.
The panel did not favour four other protesting wrestlers — Sakshi Malik, her husband Satyawart Kadiyan, Jitender Kinha and Bajrang's wife Sangeeta Phogat.
The Indian Olympic Association's ad-hoc committee took the decision just four days before the trials to select the wrestling squad for the Asian Games, scheduled to begin on September 23 in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
The Greco-Roman (60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg, 130kg) and Women's (50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, 76kg) trials are scheduled for July 22, while the men's freestyle (57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, 125kg) trials will be held on July 23 at IG Stadium in New Delhi.
Bajrang, who was one of the six protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan, is currently training in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. Vinesh, who won the 2018 Asian Games gold medal, is training in Budapest, Hungary.
Vinesh had pulled out of the recent Ranking Series event in Budapest due to sickness.
The two top grapplers, along with the four other protesting wrestlers — 2016 Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi, her husband Kadian, Sangeeta and Kinha — had sought time till August 10 to prepare for the Asian Games and World Championships trials.
EXEMPTION CRITERIA ============== According to the WFI guidelines, the selection trials in all weight categories are mandatory, however, the Selection Committee will have the discretion to select the iconic players like medallists of Olympic/World Championship without trials provided recommendation by Chief Coach/Foreign Expert.
Both Bajrang and Vinesh fit in that criteria but in this case men's free-style national coach Jagmander Singh and women's national coach Virender Dahiya were kept in the dark.
"I am not even aware that such a decision has been taken. The ad-hoc panel had stopped calling us for meetings. We have not made any such recommendation, we favoured trials in all categories," Jagmander told PTI.
Dahiya said," We don't know in what shape Bajrang and Vinesh are in. They have not competed in the last eight months. You get to know about speed, strength, weight, only during the competitions. And they have not competed after CWG and World Championship last year, so we do not know how good they are at this moment." "And in both 53kg and 65kg categories, there are solid youngsters who can compete well. Their strength is good. The ad-hoc panel has overruled us in making this decision," he alleged. COURT CASE ========= It has been learnt that parents and coaches of wrestlers in 53kg and 65kg will move court, demanding fair trials.
"Yes, we will move court. Why should our kids suffer due to discriminatory decision by the ad-hoc panel. All we want is a fair trial," demanded the father of a wrestler.
WILL FOUR PROTESTING WRESTLERS COMPETE IN TRIALS? ==================================== With the ad-hoc committee finally setting the criteria for the trials, it remains to be seen whether Sangeet, Kinha, Kadian and Sakshi are able to return to the country in four days' time.
Sangeeta is in Hungary, where she won a bronze in a UWW Ranking series event, while Sakshi and Kadian are in the US for training. Kinha is with Bajrang in Kyrgyzstan as the Olympic bronze medallist's sparring partner.
Ad-hoc panel head Bhupender Singh Bajwa did not return calls but in the circular he mentioned that, "if an unit or athlete has any grievance against the selection trials directive, the unit and athlete may write their grievance to the ad-hoc committee." PTI AT AM AT KHS KHS
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