CHENNAI: Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) clearance to Bajrang Punia and Deepak Punia’s proposals for foreign training on Tuesday has finally put an end to suspense surrounding the duo’s participation in the World Championships selection trials. The trials to pick the national team for the Worlds, which is also the first qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics, are scheduled on August 25 and 26.
Competitions in women’s wrestling and men’s Greco-Roman will be held on Day 1 followed by trials in men’s freestyle the next day. The championships are scheduled in Belgrade, Serbia from September 16 to 24. “On 18th August Bajrang’s proposal to train in Kyrgyzstan from 21st August to 28th September (39 days) along with coach, strength & conditioning expert, physiotherapist and sparring partner was put up for discussion in a wrestling sub-committee meeting, where Olympian Deepak Punia’s proposal for training camp in Russia from 23rd August to 28th September (35 days) along with his coach & physiotherapist was also discussed,” read a statement issued by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The statement further said that the committee though gave in-principal approval to the duo’s proposal but asked them to provide a fitness certificate before going abroad along with a justifiable reason for not participating in senior Worlds trials. The SAI’s announcement has certainly dented hopes of Vishal Kaliraman competing at the Asian Games. Notably, it was Vishal, who won the Asian Games selection trials in the 65kg, but the ad-hoc committee running the sport in the country had given direct entry to Bajrang in the weight category.