No trials for Bajrang & Vinesh, will fly to China for Asian Games
New Delhi: In what can be termed as a mockery, the ad-hoc body running wresting in India decided to exempt Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from trials for the Asian Games. The two protesting wrestlers, in addition to Sakshi Malik, had been on dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi during the summer heat in May. Eventually, they called of the protest after meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and later Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in June.
The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. These Games were to have been held in 2022, but due to the prevailing Covid 19 situation in China, a postponement was sought. Back to Bajrang and Punia, they had made all kind of allegations against the previous officials of the Wrestling Federation of India. Former President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his secretary Vinod Tomar have faced maximum heat from these celebrated wrestlers.
Once the Sports Ministry decided to set up an ad-hoc body comprising Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Sumar Shirur to manage day to day affairs of wrestling, there was hope governance would become better. However, the decision to name Bajrang and Vinesh is actually a decision which had been taken by the former WFI body in 2022. This brings up a debate for sure as the protesting wrestlers had been critical of the way the federation had functioned.
For weeks, the ad-hoc body dragged its feet on selection. They kept seeking more time from the organisers in Hangzhou to name the wrestlers. The entire Indian wrestling fraternity thought there would be transparency in selection and deserving youngsters who have been training without a murmur would get a fair deal. However, what happened on Tuesday was bizarre.
To be sure, Bajrang and Punia are not competition fit by any yardstick. For the entire year, they have been out of training. It is only now the two have travelled abroad for exposure and training. Yet, not having won any bouts or not figuring in any trials means they have got an unfair
advantage.
