CHENNAI: Injured Ravi Dahiya joined the list of top wrestlers skipping the selection trials scheduled at the IG Stadium in New Delhi to pick the team for the Asian Championships. The trials for the freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers will be held on Friday while the trials for women wrestlers will be organised the next day. Earlier, as reported by this daily, injured Bajrang Punia, his wife Sangeeta Phogat, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik had already decided to skip the trials.
The oversight committee, which was formed to run the day-to-day affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), is organising the trials. “Ravi is nursing a knee injury so he will not compete. Deepak Punia will participate. Similarly, Anshu and Sonam will also take part in the trials as the continental event is important if wrestlers wish to participate in the upcoming World Championships, which is also an Olympic qualifier,” sources confirmed to this daily.
Meanwhile, the High Court of Delhi on Thursday permitted five wrestlers to participate in the trials. Justice Prathiba M Singh, in a special hearing held on a holiday, said petitioner wrestlers — Anuj Kumar, Chander Mohan, Vijay, Ankit and Sachin Mor — shall be allowed to compete and be judged on their own merit.