CHENNAI: National camp for men wrestlers, which commenced on September 1 at SAI centre in Sonepat, has been extended till December 31. “Yes, the camp has been extended till the end of this year,” Vinod Tomar, assistant secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), confirmed to this daily.
Though the same set of wrestlers are likely to camp at the venue, the strength may increase with the inclusion of non-Olympic weight categories if United World Wrestling (UWW) confirms dates for the Senior and Junior World Championships. Around 20 freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers in Olympic weight categories are in the Sonepat camp at the moment.
The UWW’s executive committee will meet on October 5 to discuss plans for the 2020 Worlds scheduled for mid-December in Belgrade. A questionnaire has already been sent to all national federations gauging their interest in the tournament as well as any concerns they might have.
“It all depends on the meeting scheduled on October 5. If dates for Worlds are finalised then wrestlers from non-Olympic categories may join the camp as well,” said a source, who is part of the ongoing camp.
Meanwhile, the world body has updated its event calendar for the 2021 season.
According to it, the Asian Championships will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from February 16-21. Asian Olympic Qualifier is slated from March 26-28 in Xian, China while World Olympic Games Qualifier is scheduled from April 29 to May 2 in Sofia, Bulgaria.