WFI Tightens Rules for National Wrestling Trials, Enforces State Affiliation and Weight Category Restrictions
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced strict measures to ensure the integrity of the upcoming national trials for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifiers. The trials, scheduled for March 10-11, will allow wrestlers to compete only from their original states, and no grappler will be permitted to participate in multiple weight categories.
The WFI’s decision stems from concerns raised over wrestlers representing states other than their own at the recent Senior National Championship held in Jaipur. “Several wrestlers, who actually hailed from Haryana, represented states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim at the Nationals conducted by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur. This is wrong and we will not allow this,” a WFI source told PTI.
To verify the genuineness of wrestlers’ state affiliations, the WFI has instructed them to bring their WFI Licence Book, Birth Certificate, and Adhar Card to the trials. “Sikkim and Arunachal are not even affiliated state bodies. We will not stop anyone from competing, but wrestlers have to come from their original state,” the source added.
The trials will be crucial in selecting the Indian teams for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifiers, both scheduled to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. To ensure a strong squad, the WFI has allowed wrestlers to compete in multiple weight categories over the two days of the trials.
“It will ensure that if a strong wrestler like Aman Sehrawat or Ravi Dahiya misses out on selection in the Olympic weight category (57kg), then he can get a chance in the non-Olympic weight category (61kg). That way, we will have a strong Indian squad,” the source explained.
However, Antim Panghal, the only Indian grappler to secure an Olympic quota so far, has been exempted from the March 10-11 trials. She will instead compete against the winner of the trials at a later date this month.