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NEW DELHI: Indian women’s wrestling team for the World Championships in Norway – scheduled from October 2 to 10 – will be entering the big-ticket competition in Oslo without any serious training or preparedness.
Olympian Anshu Malik (57kg), Sarita Mor (59kg), Sangeeta Phogat (62kg) and Divya Kakran (72kg), among others, will be representing the country at the Worlds, but the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has no idea about the team’s readiness and possible injury issues, if any.
The10-day preparatory camp organised by the WFI at the Indira Gandhi Indoor (IGI) stadium here saw none of the selected wrestlers, except for Sarita, turn up for training. The other Worlds-bound women wrestlers include Hanny (50kg), Pooja Jatt (53kg), Bhateri (65kg) and Ritu Malik (68kg). “Sarita did come to join the camp at the IGI but returned to train at the local akhada in her hometown after realising none of the other selected wrestlers have reported to the venue,” a senior WFI official said.
The men’s and women’s teams for the Worlds in the freestyle and Greco-Roman categories were selected after a selection trial here on August 31. The men’s campers have been preparing for the Oslo meet at the SAI’s regional centre in Sonepat. The Indian contingent will leave from the IGI airport on September 30.
The camp for the women wrestlers was originally scheduled to start from September 5 at the SAI centre in Lucknow. Later, it was postponed to September 15, and finally the camp was shifted to the IGI stadium with the reporting date fixed for September 20. To WFI’s surprise, none of the wrestlers reported for the camp. They continued training at their respective akhadas under their personal coaches. The WFI, too, didn’t take the wrestlers’ misdemeanour seriously and – as has been the case with the federation’s ‘ chalta hai’ attitude – directed the chief women’s national coach Kuldeep Malik to keep a watch on their preparedness from the SAI Sonepat campus, without even once visiting their akhadas.
As a result, the wrestlers will be leaving for the championships without any serious practice time or sparring sessions. If someone is carrying a niggle or injury, the blame would squarely lie with the federation. Of the seven Tokyo-returned Olympians, only Anshu is part of the wrestling squad. Bajrang Punia, Deepak Punia, Seema Bisla and Sonam Malik have been nursing injuries, while Ravi Dahiya pulled out due to lack of preparation. Vinesh Phogat has been battling health issues.
Olympian Anshu Malik (57kg), Sarita Mor (59kg), Sangeeta Phogat (62kg) and Divya Kakran (72kg), among others, will be representing the country at the Worlds, but the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has no idea about the team’s readiness and possible injury issues, if any.
The10-day preparatory camp organised by the WFI at the Indira Gandhi Indoor (IGI) stadium here saw none of the selected wrestlers, except for Sarita, turn up for training. The other Worlds-bound women wrestlers include Hanny (50kg), Pooja Jatt (53kg), Bhateri (65kg) and Ritu Malik (68kg). “Sarita did come to join the camp at the IGI but returned to train at the local akhada in her hometown after realising none of the other selected wrestlers have reported to the venue,” a senior WFI official said.
The men’s and women’s teams for the Worlds in the freestyle and Greco-Roman categories were selected after a selection trial here on August 31. The men’s campers have been preparing for the Oslo meet at the SAI’s regional centre in Sonepat. The Indian contingent will leave from the IGI airport on September 30.
The camp for the women wrestlers was originally scheduled to start from September 5 at the SAI centre in Lucknow. Later, it was postponed to September 15, and finally the camp was shifted to the IGI stadium with the reporting date fixed for September 20. To WFI’s surprise, none of the wrestlers reported for the camp. They continued training at their respective akhadas under their personal coaches. The WFI, too, didn’t take the wrestlers’ misdemeanour seriously and – as has been the case with the federation’s ‘ chalta hai’ attitude – directed the chief women’s national coach Kuldeep Malik to keep a watch on their preparedness from the SAI Sonepat campus, without even once visiting their akhadas.
As a result, the wrestlers will be leaving for the championships without any serious practice time or sparring sessions. If someone is carrying a niggle or injury, the blame would squarely lie with the federation. Of the seven Tokyo-returned Olympians, only Anshu is part of the wrestling squad. Bajrang Punia, Deepak Punia, Seema Bisla and Sonam Malik have been nursing injuries, while Ravi Dahiya pulled out due to lack of preparation. Vinesh Phogat has been battling health issues.
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