CHENNAI: Indian social media went into overdrive on Saturday following the news that Mongolia's Sumiya Erdenechimeg had been reinstated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which essentially meant she was clear to go to the Games as a competitor.
This created waves in India because Babita Kumari, who was beaten by Sumiya in one of the semifinals at the recently held Asian qualifiers, took her spot after she tested positive for meldonium at that event. But after a WADA rule change vis-a-vis meldonium, Sumiya has been reinstated into the team. A statement to that effect was conveyed to the Mongolian Federation by United World Wrestling (UWW).
That being the case, the next step would have been a reversal of sorts – Mongolia (and Sumiya) taking back a quota that was given to Babita (and) India. However, it has been learnt that UWW have not conveyed any sort of message to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) regarding Babita's status. "There is no official confirmation yet from UWW," Vinod Tomar, Assistant Secretary of WFI, told Express. "If they had intimated the Mongolian Federation about Sumiya being reinstated they should have sent us a letter if they had planned to remove Babita's quota," he said. "So far we have received nothing of that sort."
But all signs point towards Babita heading to Rio. "All National Olympic Committees (NOCs) previously granted Olympic qualification spots will not be impacted by this adjustment," says a notice on one of the pages of UWW's website.
Sumiya wasn't the only wrestler who was saved thanks to a recent change in the guidelines pertaining to meldonium.
Magomedmurat Gadzhiev (Poland), Yanarbek Kenzheev (Kyrgyzstan), Andriy Kziatkovsky (Ukraine) and Oksana Herhel (Ukraine) were the four other wrestlers given a lifeline.
Lakra not in team?
If sources are to be believed, key national team defender Biren Lakra might not figure in the India team for the Olympics. Lakra, who picked a knee injury during the Hockey India League (HIL) early this year, played in the Six Nations meet in Valencia but the selection committee feels he is still not up to speed. The committee may be erring on the side of caution but an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the one that the 26-year-old suffered, usually takes a minimum of six months to heal properly.
Meanwhile, the women's team suffered a rude shock as Ritu Rani was not included in the Olympic squad. A lack of performance in recent events has been attributed to her ouster. This of course means that a new captain will have to be selected when the team is selected on Monday.
