Wrestlers Want Asian Games Trials in August: After the protesting wrestlers asked the Sports Ministry to hold trials in August, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) went to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Friday to ask for a delay in the July 15 deadline for naming the country’s wrestling team for the Asian Games.
The IOA has to send the OCA lists of teams for all sports by July 15, and the top sports organization has already asked all national federations to send the final names of their chosen players by June 30.
The protesting wrestlers, like Bajrang Punia, are now eager to participate in the Asian Games trials. However, they need time to get in shape because their long protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh left them with little time to prepare.
We know that the wrestlers sent a letter to Deputy Sports Secretary SPS Tomar on Friday. On Saturday, the ministry official sent the request to the ad-hoc group that is in charge of the WFI right now.
An IOA source told PTI that the ad-hoc group asked the IOA for help, and the IOA wrote to the OCA to ask for a deadline delay.
“Yes, we did get the letter that the wrestlers wrote, and it was decided that OCA’s opinion can be taken if they are willing to give the wrestlers more time,” said an official who did not want to be named.
The ad-hoc group wanted to hold the trials in the last week of June so that the names could be given to the IOA before the June 30 date given to all National Sports Federations (NSFs). From September 23 to October 8, the Asian Games will be place in Hangzhou, China.
Bajrang Punia Begins Practice at Sai Centre (Sonepat)
Bajrang Punia has started training at the Bahalgar SAI center. He is the current Asian Games winner. He trained with Jitender Kinha, who was his grappling partner. If Bajrang gets to participate in the trials, Surjeet Kalakal, who is quickly rising in the 65kg category, will be his biggest rival. He is the current national champion and the Asian winner for people his age (U23).
Anuj, who trains at the same akhada where Bajrang used to train, and Vishal Kaliraman, who comes from Chhatrasal Stadium, are the other rivals. However, they are not expected to be able to beat a fully fit Bajrang.
Protesting Wrestlers Request Time
The IOA has until July 15 to send the OCA lists of teams for all sports, and the top sports body has already asked all national federations to send the final names of their chosen players by June 30.
The protesting wrestlers, like Bajrang Punia, are now eager to participate in the Asian Games trials. However, they need time to get in shape because their long protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh left them with little time to prepare.
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We know that the wrestlers sent a letter to Deputy Sports Secretary SPS Tomar on Friday. On Saturday, the ministry official sent the request to the ad-hoc group that is in charge of WFI right now. An IOA source told PTI that the ad-hoc group asked the IOA for help, and the IOA wrote to the OCA to ask for a deadline delay.
“Yes, we did get the letter that the wrestlers wrote, and it was decided that OCA’s opinion can be taken if they are willing to give the wrestlers more time,” said an official who did not want to be named.
The ad-hoc group wanted to hold the trials in the last week of June so that the names could be given to the IOA before the June 30 date given to all National Sports Federations (NSFs). From September 23 to October 8, the Asian Games will be place in Hangzhou, China.
Ad-hoc Body Receives Presentations From Disputed State Units
Several state wrestling units that are no longer linked to each other are now claiming to be the original groups. They want to vote in the WFI polls that will be held on July 6. The ad-hoc group had asked the previous WFI leadership to explain their situation.
“People from Maharashtra, Telangana, Bihar, Haryana, Assam, Tripura, and Madhya Pradesh all sent in applications. The ad-hoc group found out that Tripura had only been an associate member of the WFI in the past, and that it had even lost that membership.
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“Aside from Tripura, the applications of Bihar (which was dissolved in 2017), Haryana, Assam, and MP were all turned down. “The case of Maharashtra and Telangana is still being looked at by the ad-hoc body,” an IOA source said.
Wrestlers Meeting With Tikait Brothers
The striking wrestlers are likely to talk about their next steps with farmer leaders Rakesh and Naresh Tikait on Saturday at the Bharat Kisan Union (BKU) meeting in Haridwar.
When the wrestlers meet Khap and other farmer leaders on Sunday, they are expected to make a final decision about the future of their protest.
Conclusion
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asked for a delay in the July 15 deadline for naming the country’s wrestling team for the Asian Games. Bajrang Punia is the current Asian Games winner and his biggest rival is Surjeet Kalakal, Anuj, and Vishal Kaliraman. The IOA asked the OCA for a deadline delay to give wrestlers more time to prepare for the Asian Games trials. The ad-hoc body received presentations from state wrestling units seeking to vote in the WFI polls, but all applications were rejected.
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