CHENNAI: After skipping the Rome Ranking Series last month to complete visa formalities for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Indian wrestlers will miss another international event in Spain as the process is yet to be completed.
The tournament, Grand Prix of Spain, is slated from July 8 to 10 in Madrid and the wrestlers were planning it as part of their build-up to the Birmingham Games. “The wrestlers will not compete in Spain as the visa process is still going on.
Usually, they are called together but this time they are given appointments in batches, which is prolonging the process. The next two days (Saturday and Sunday) are holidays so it’s not possible to field the team in Spain now,” a Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) official said.
A Visa issue may also delay ace wrestler Bajrang Punia’s departure to the USA for a training stint at Michigan University ahead of the CWG. He is also supposed to be joined by Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia and the two wrestlers are scheduled to train at the venue till July 30. The WFI is now hoping wrestlers could compete at the Zouhaier Sghaier Ranking Series scheduled from July 14 to 17 in Tunis, Tunisia. “If the formalities are completed in time then the wrestlers can compete in Tunisia. We are also planning an exposure trip for them after the event,” added the official.
Injury scare for Vinesh
Woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Friday morning sustained a chin injury during the practice bout at SAI center in Lucknow. The women wrestlers are camping at the center. Her sparring partner Bhavika Patel also sustained an injury on the forehead. The duo has been advised to rest for 10 days. “They were sparring when Bhavika’s forehead hit Vinesh’s chin causing injuries to both of them,” head coach Jitendra Yadav told this daily. It is learned that Vinesh needed 10 stitches while Patel had 12 stitches.