A day after calling off their protest in opposition to outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh having obtained assurance from the federal government, the wrestlers on Thursday expressed intent to participate within the Asian Games choice trials scheduled to be held later this month. Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday mentioned that each one nationwide federations are aiming to finalise the squads for the Asian Games, nicely earlier than the July 15 deadline set by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The Games are set to happen in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had on April 27 introduced {that a} three-member ad-hoc committee A two-member advert hoc committee of Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Suma Shirur, which is working the day-to-day affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) since May 4 shall be conducting the choice trials most certainly within the final week of June.

However, the wrestlers need some extra time to prepare for the trials.

“We want to take part in the selection trial but to prepare for it, we need at least a month and a half of training,” worldwide wrestler Satyawart Kadian, who can also be Sakshi Malik’s husband, advised PTI on Thursday.

Getting again into competitors mode shall be a tricky activity for the wrestlers as some have not competed because the World Championships in September final yr whereas a few of others final hit the mat even earlier, in the course of the Commonwealth Games in August, 2022.

The grapplers had pulled out of a slew of worldwide occasions lately whereas Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia additionally opted out of their worldwide coaching camps in April because of the protest.

While the 2 central determine of the protest — Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang and world championship medallist Vinesh — determine within the lengthy listing, the identical can’t be mentioned about Rio Olympics bronze medallist Malik.

The wrestlers have been demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Singh, who they’ve accused of sexually exploiting ladies wrestlers, together with a minor.

However after a marathon assembly with Thakur on Wednesday the place they had been assured {that a} chargesheet shall be filed by in opposition to Singh, the wrestlers suspended the protest until June 15 as a decision appears to be not far away.

On Thursday, Thakur reiterated that the wrestlers’ calls for, together with the formation of a WFI Internal Complaints Committee headed by a feminine, shall be met. “I said yesterday as well, we had a very positive meeting with the protesting wrestlers. All the issues that they raise we discussed and we have said that the chargesheet will be filed till June 15 and the WFI elections will take place by June 30. “We need the wrestlers to return to the mat and participate in competitions,” Thakur said.