CHENNAI: After months of indecision, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has finally come up with a plan to restart the national camp for elite grapplers. A proposal, which mentions September 1 as the start date, has been sent to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) by the federation a couple of days ago.
“We plan to start camp on September 1. If the proposal is accepted, the men will start training in Sonepat, while women will camp in Lucknow,” Vinod Tomar, WFI assistant secretary, told this daily. WFI had made a few attempts to start the camp in the past but wrestlers turned down the offer given the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Like the past, the WFI plans to hold the camp in limited weight categories. Five divisions each in men’s freestyle (57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg and 125kg) and women’s wrestling (50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg and 68kg), and three divisions — 60kg, 77kg and 87kg — from Greco-Roman were shortlisted for the purpose.
Tomar claimed the wrestlers have given their nod for the camp. “Earlier, they were reluctant to join the camp but now they have accepted our proposal.” The official also confirmed that the WFI has decided to hold the Senior National Championships in UP’s Gonda from December 18 to 20.
Coach shifted
Greco-Roman coach Temo Kazarashvili was eventually shifted to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi by the SAI. The Georgian, who arrived on an extradition flight on July 30, served a seven-day quarantine at a hotel in Sonepat before moving to Bajrang Punia’s flat last week. His alleged ‘unannounced’ arrival has put the WFI and SAI in a fix. “Yes, he was shifted to Nehru Stadium a couple of days back,” informed Tomar.