Wrestling Federation of India to hold fresh trials for World Olympic Qualifiers

The move comes following the dismal performance of men’s contingent in Asian qualifiers.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to conduct fresh trials across all 14 remaining weight categories to select the Indian team for the upcoming World Olympic Qualifiers in Turkey after a dismal showing at the Asian Qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The WFI’s move comes in the wake of the men’s Greco-Roman wrestlers’ struggle to even clear their respective first-round bouts in Bishkek, highlighting the urgent need for course correction ahead of the all-important World Qualifiers.

The men’s freestyle wrestlers, including Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Sujeet (65kg), Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg), and Sumit (125kg), failed to book a single Paris 2024 quota. The story was no different in the Greco-Roman style, where Sumit (60kg), Ashu (67kg), Vikas (77kg), Sunil (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), and Naveen (130kg) also came up empty-handed.

Out of a possible 17 Olympic quota places up for grabs at the Asian Qualifiers for Indian Contingent, India managed to secure just three quotas, all through female wrestlers — Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), and Reetika (76kg). Antim Panghal (53Kg) was the only wrestler who secured quota before the Asian Qualifiers after winning bronze at the World Championships last year.

The trials, expected to be held in either the last week of April or the first week of May, will feature wrestlers across the six Greco-Roman and six freestyle categories for men, along with two weight divisions in women’s wrestling (68kg and 62kg).

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“President Sanjay Singh discussed the performance with India’s coaches and selection committee members and they are agreed that this performance was really below par and unacceptable. It has never happened that India have struggled to get a quota even in freestyle,” news agency PTI quoted a source as saying.

“It has been decided WFI will conduct trials in all 14 categories where quota has not been secured,” the report from the news agency added.

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