States to field wrestlers of their choice in Asiad trials?
New Delhi, May 9
The ad hoc panel formed to run the Wrestling Federation of India is likely to allow the state associations to field deserving candidates in the Asian Games trials even if they do not meet the criteria of being medal winners in one of the stipulated tournaments as per the new selection policy for the quadrennial extravaganza.
The Asian Games trials are expected to be held in the third week of June. The final date will be notified this week.
The WFI had last year devised a policy which allowed only the medal winners from the National Championships, the national ranking tournaments, Federation Cup and international tournaments, apart from talented juniors, to compete in the trials.
Ad hoc panel member Bhupender Singh Bajwa had initially suggested open trials but the coaches and referees advised them to restrict it to medal prospects only.
Top wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who are staging a protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, will not be stopped from competing in the trials.
Sakshi Malik, another prominent face of the protest, though, will not be able to compete since her name did not figure in the long list that was sent by the WFI to the Indian Olympics Association.
Meanwhile, the ad hoc committee will likely work with just one member for at least one more week as Suma Shirur is away with the national shooting team in Baku, while a retired high court judge is yet to be appointed. Shirur is the national coach for the rifle team and is currently in the Azerbaijan capital with a 34-member Indian contingent for the ISSF World Cup.
