CHENNAI: Now, the country's wrestlers will not be able to sign contracts with NGOs independently. Instead, the contract will now be a tripartite arrangement and the Wrestling Federation of India will be a part of it. And to begin with it, the national federation has allowed JSW to enter into an agreement with the wrestlers after obtaining its consent.
The WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had expressed reservations about NGOs offering contracts to wrestlers without keeping the federation in a loop.
"JSW approached me and after discussions, we have agreed that the contract will be tripartite. As per the agreement, they will spend Rs 3 crore annually on our wrestlers. Obviously, terms and conditions of the contract have to be approved by the WFI before entering the contract," the WFI chief told this daily.
NGOs like JSW and OGQ have been supporting wrestlers by offering them contracts for quite some time now. However, the OGQ seems to have missed out on the opportunity, at least the recent developments suggest so.
Speaking on the issue, Singh said, "OGQ didn't approach me. If it does, we will definitely look into the matter." However, sources claimed that the OGQ, in fact, committed Rs 1 crore annual support to the WFI, which in turn didn't find it good enough.
Policy change
Meanwhile, in its Annual General Meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing senior nationals in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday, the WFI decided that the quota winners, if the need arises, will have to appear in trials before finalising the national team for the next Olympics. So far, the WFI had usually allowed the quota winners to represent the country in the Olympics.
"This will keep other wrestlers motivated as they know they can still qualify for the Olympics by beating the quota holders in the trials," said a WFI official when questioned over the move.
In another decision, it has also passed a resolution that no state will be allowed to field more than one team at the nationals. Till this year, the top three teams of the previous championship were allowed to field two wrestlers in each weight category. The decision is likely to impact wrestling heavyweights like Railways, Services and Haryana. The move, WFI sources claimed, is aimed at giving an equal opportunity to wrestlers from other states and also promoting the sport across the country.