CHENNAI: Despite the United World Wrestling (UWW) lifting its suspension on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on February 13, confusion remains on the governance of the sport in the country. The move by the world body was surely a big relief for the WFI but the federation has yet not officially been handed the reins of wrestling as the ad-hoc committee formed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) continues to function.
It's been more than a year since it all started throwing wrestling and its athletes in disarray. And the controversy refuses to die down affecting hundreds of wrestlers, especially the youngsters. They suffered yet another setback when the proposed U-15 and U-20 national championship in Patiala was cancelled by the ad-hoc body citing the ongoing farmers' protest.
Nonetheless, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) managed to fund overseas exposure trips of a few wrestlers so that they can train unabatedly for the Olympic qualifiers and other important tournaments. To begin with, the ad-hoc panel recommended names of Greco-Roman wrestlers, who clinched gold in their respective weight categories in the Jaipur nationals, to train in Baku, Azerbaijan. The team comprising nine wrestlers and three support staff left the country on February 15 for the camp scheduled to conclude on March 5. Notably, the SAI sanctioned the trip on a request from the panel.
Apart from these Greco-Roman wrestlers, a few freestyle and women grapplers are training abroad with the SAI financing their trips. One of them is Sarita Mor (57kg), who is training at the United States Olympic Paralympic Training Center (USOPTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, along with coach Rahul Maan. Sarita along with her husband-cum-coach left the country on February 6 and is expected to return on February 26.
Similarly, the SAI recently sanctioned Anshu Malik's 26-day foreign training camp at the Nippon Sports Science University in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. She has been accompanied by her father-cum-coach Dharamvir Singh and physiotherapist Dharamveer Yadav. The trio left on February 5 for the camp that finishes on March 1.
The SAI had also sanctioned a 33-day foreign training camp for Deepak Punia (86kg) at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. According to the information provided by the SAI, Punia trained at the venue from January 13 to February 15. A 31-day camp was also sanctioned for Aman Sehrawat (57kg) from January 20 to February 17 in Makhachkala, Russia along with his physiotherapist Naitik Prakash Vohra.
"Government funded `12.08 crore for their international exposure in 2023. These were for 13 competitions, including World Championships for the seniors, U23, U20 and U17 age groups, Asian Championships for U23, U20, U17 and U15 age groups. The cost of national camps in India and overseas, amounting to `92.77 lakh was underwritten by the Government. Besides, TOPS provided 10 elite wrestlers support for overseas training and equipment in excess of `86.75 lakh," SAI told this daily in a statement.
Besides, it also released funds for holding camps and competitions this year. "In 2024, the government has funded camps, competition in the first UWW Ranking Series and the National championships to the tune of `1.44 crore. Besides, support from TOPS for seven wrestlers has been `37.06 lakh this year."
The SAI's support, especially with the Olympic qualifiers in sight, definitely deserves applause but it also brings the focus back on wrestlers, who somehow have been left out and desperately need the government's help to keep their dreams alive.