CHENNAI: Indian wrestlers might have won 12 medals from as many weight categories at the recently concluded 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but the show failed to impress the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.Expecting gold in double figures, the WFI president feels the selection policy needs a change and the same might be proposed during the annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled in Rohtak, Haryana on August 25. The AGM is scheduled keeping in mind the Federation Cup (U-15 and 20) slated from August 24 to 26 in Rohtak. Indian wrestlers had won six gold, one silver and five bronze at the CWG.
"Wrestlers hardly face any competitions at the CWG. Wrestlers from only a couple of countries pose real threat to their Indian counterparts at the event. And why should not we expect gold from everyone? We are doing everything which is possible. The Indian wrestlers are getting an opportunity to compete in almost every international tournament. Only the USA gives such opportunity to its wrestlers but there also the grapplers are not rewarded with cash prizes on winning medals," the WFI president told this daily.
The WFI is also expected to hold selection trials for the 2022 World Championships to be held in Belgrade, Serbia from September 10 to 18. The criteria for holding trials, however, have not been decided yet but it is learnt that CWG medals will not be enough for wrestlers to earn a direct place in the team. Sources also claimed that a few CWG medallist are averse to the idea of the selection trials and they rather believe they should be given preference for the Worlds.
"The CWG gold medal wouldn't be enough as we have to take into consideration other factors as well. We will also see the performance of wrestlers in other events like Asian Championships, Ranking Series and other international tournaments. We will have a discussion on the issue during the AGM and if deemed necessary, we will move a proposal to change the selection policy. It's the need of the hour as we have good bench strength. Our junior wrestlers in both men's and women's categories have performed exceptionally well in the recently held world championships. So we don't have a dearth of talent. Nobody can take his/her place in the team taken for granted," added Singh, who is also the chairman of the selection committee.
Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Ravi Dahiya (57kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Naveen (74kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg) finished on top of the podium while Anshu Malik (57kg) settled for silver in Birmingham. The remaining five wrestlers — Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Divya Kakran (68kg), Pooja Sihag (76kg), Deepak Nehra (97kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg) — returned with a bronze each from the quadrennial event.