The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will permit wrestlers from their respective home states to participate in the upcoming trials. Each wrestler will be allowed to compete in more than one category during the two days of the selection competition, commencing on March 10.
WFI will permit only 'genuine' wrestlers
In its circular issued on March 5, the WFI, wrote, "Wrestlers participated in Senior National Championship held at Jaipur will bring their WFI Licence Book, Birth Certificate, Adhar Card to verify the genuineness of their state."
"Several wrestlers, who actually hailed from Haryana, represented states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim at the Nationals conducted by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur. This is wrong and we will now allow this," a WFI source told PTI.
"Sikkim and Arunachal are not even affiliated state bodies. We will not stop anyone from competing but wrestlers has to come from his original state,. Even if a genuine wrestler comes from Arunachal, we will allow him as a special invitee," said the source.
Trial targets Asian Championships & Olympic Qualifiers
The trials aim to select teams for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifiers, set to take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Given the two senior National Championships held earlier this year, the WFI has advised wrestlers attending the upcoming national trials to bring all required documents to verify their authenticity.
The WFI, which was under suspension, organised the Nationals in Pune in January. Meanwhile, the sports ministry-appointed ad-hoc committee conducted a similar event in Jaipur from February 2-5.
The WFI has also stated that wrestlers participating in a specific weight category on March 10, the first day of the trials, can also compete in a different weight category on the second day.
"It will ensure that if a strong wrestler like Aman Sehrawat or Ravi Dahiya misses out on selection in Olympic weight category (57kg) then he can gets a chance in non-Olympic weight category (61kg). That way we will have strong Indian squad."
Winner set to face off against Antim Panghal
The WFI granted exemption from the March 10-11 trials to Antim Panghal, the sole Indian wrestler who has secured an Olympic quota thus far. However, she will face off against the trials' winner at a later date this month.
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