Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia exempted from Asian Games 2022 wrestling trials

Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat have been exempted from the Asian Games trials, the Wrestling Federation of India said.

FILE PHOTO: Indian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik address reporters during a protest demanding the arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

In a debatable decision, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)-appointed ad-hoc committee on Tuesday exempted Olympic and World championships medallist Bajrang Punia and Worlds medallist Vinesh Phogat from the selection trials and picked them directly for the Hangzhou Asian Games prior to the trials in Delhi scheduled over the weekend.

The Olympic Council of Asia, acting on a request from the IOA to extend the deadline for sending wrestling entries in order to give additional time to the six protesting wrestlers, had moved the cutoff date from July 15 to 23.

After days of brainstorming, the ad-hoc panel – which had earlier advocated a two-phased trial necessitating the six protesting wrestlers to fight the winners of their respective weight classes and invited backlash – finally came out with the selection criteria. As per the directive issued by ad-hoc committee member Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, trials will be held in six weight categories apiece in men’s freestyle and Greco Roman and women’s weight classes. 

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It is learnt that the ad-hoc body, going by a 2017 Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) regulation, selected Bajrang (65kg) and Vinesh (53kg), who last competed in the Belgrade World championships and landed bronze medals in September last year. “But, the trials will be held for these weight categories and the selected wrestlers will be kept on stand-by,” said the directive issued by the ad-hoc body.

In all other weights, the winners will be selected for the Asiad, while the second placed athlete will be on stand-by.

The WFI regulation for the Asian Games read, “The selection trials in all weight categories are mandatory, (sic) 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.”

It was not clear whether the ad-hoc panel consulted the respective chief coaches for giving exemption to Bajrang and Vinesh.

Sources close to Bajwa said Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (57kg) was not given exemption as he was injured in a recent Ranking Series event.

The decision to exempt Bajrang and Vinesh has not gone down well with several up-and-coming wrestlers and at least three of them, Ranking Series gold medallist Sujeet Kalkal and National championships bronze medallist Jaskaran Singh (both men’s freestyle 65kg) and World under-20 champion and Asian silver medallist Antim Panghal (53kg), are contemplating moving court.