NEW DELHI: Reliable sources have indicated that the
Wrestling Federation of India
(WFI) will finalise the selection criteria for assembling the
Indian team
for the Paris Olympics on May 21.
India has secured six quota places for the Summer Games, predominantly dominated by women wrestlers, with only Aman Sehrawat securing a quota in the men's freestyle 57kg category.
The WFI previously announced its intention to conduct a final trial to determine the wrestlers who will represent the nation at the
Paris Games
, commencing on July 26.
As per the earlier outlined criteria, wrestlers who secured top-four positions in the previous trials will face off, with the victors competing against the quota winners to secure their spot in the
Olympic roster
.
"The WFI has called a selection committee meeting in Delhi on May 21 to decide on the selection criteria. The two chief coaches in both styles (men's freestyle and women) will be part of the discussions," a WFI source told PTI.
The decision of whether to proceed with trials or allow quota winners to compete directly at the Games will indeed be intriguing for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) selection committee.
Should the quota winners be given clearance to compete, it could spell the end of the Paris Olympic aspirations for wrestlers like Ravi Dahiya (men's 57kg) and
Sarita Mor
(women's 57kg), as they would miss out on one final opportunity for selection.
In the previous Tokyo Games, the four quota winners—Bajrang Punia, Deepak Punia, Ravi Dahiya, and Vinesh Phogat—retained their spots in their respective categories without undergoing trials near the Games.
Led by the seasoned
Vinesh Phogat
(50kg), India boasts five women wrestlers vying for medals.
Antim Panghal
(53kg),
Anshu Malik
(57kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), and Reetika Hooda (76kg) are among the other women wrestlers who have secured quotas.
There's a prevailing sentiment that holding trials so close to the Games may not be necessary, especially considering the caliber and readiness of the athletes.
Dronacharya awardee Lalit Kumar, head coach at Chhatarasal Stadium in Delhi, elaborated on why trials might not be essential in all categories.
"Most of our wrestlers have qualified very recently. It's not that they qualified a year back and their fitness and form need to be assessed. Sometimes the wrestler loses form or gets injured, so you need to assess if they are India's best bet in their category because athletes can actually hide their injuries.
"So in this case, five of the six wrestlers have earned quotas in less than one month's time. They were the best in their categories, so they won the trials and competed in Bishkek and Istanbul.
"So their fitness and form is before everyone. Yes, for someone like Antim Panghal, who qualified at the World Championships last year, WFI needs to know if she is carrying any injury, for others it's not required," he said.
Aman has also expressed concerns about trials, saying it's time to focus on preparation for the Games and not getting ready for another painful process of weight-cut.
Vinesh Phogat, in a post on X, also demanded clarity as to what exactly WFI wants to do with the trials.
A section within the WFI also feels that trials are not required at this stage when the Games are just two months away.
(With PTI inputs)
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