CHENNAI: Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was training in Norway along with her personal coach Woller Akos, has been asked to cut short her trip and return to the country. She is expected to reach India on Friday morning. The 25-year-old athlete might even be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days on arrival as per the travel advisory and visa restrictions put in place by the central government on Thursday.
“We are just focused on training, safety and health of our athletes. We are in constant touch with Rajesh Rajagopalan, CEO Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) to ensure our athletes are safe,” Viren Rasquinha, director and CEO, OGQ, told this daily when enquired about the 53kg wrestler. Given the situation due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in consultation with Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), which supports the athlete, decided to call Vinesh back on Wednesday. As per the original plan, she was scheduled to come back on March 16.
The advisory issued by the Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs in accordance with instructions from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also advised Indian nationals in foreign countries to avoid non-essential travel. Apart from Vinesh, six Greco-Roman wrestlers (all in Olympic weight categories), three coaches and a masseur are in Baku, Azerbaijan for a training camp. The advisory might also complicate things for them upon arrival.
“The training is underway here in Baku. We’ll reach India via Doha on March 22. So far, we haven’t received any instructions from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in the wake of the new travel advisory. I will speak to the federation and try to get clarity over the issue,” Hargobind Singh, national Greco-Roman coach, told this daily from Baku. Meanwhile, the WFI is also planning to get in touch with the government to ensure safe passage to wrestlers on their return. “The advisory speaks of the 14-day quarantine period. We’ll speak to the government in this regard to make sure the wrestlers do not face difficulty on their arrival,” said Vinod Tomar, WFI assistant secretary.
World Oly Qualifier deferred
After the Asian Olympic Qualifier, the United World Wrestling (UWW) has also postponed the world qualifier along with the European qualifier. The world qualifier, slated in Sofia, Bulgaria from April 30 to May 3, is the last chance for wrestlers to qualify for the Tokyo Games. “The events will be rescheduled, with the European qualifier expected to take place in mid-May and the world qualifier to be held in the beginning of June,” the UWW said. The Asian qualifier is also expected to be organised in May.