CHENNAI: After facing problems due to alleged human trafficking, Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers except one, their coaches, three referees and a physiotherapist were issued Slovakia visas for the U20 World Championships. The tournament is scheduled in Bratislava from August 16 to 23. The team is scheduled to leave on Thursday night and reach Vienna, Austria via Doha. The Indian team members will then take a bus from Vienna to Bratislava.
Hariom, who competes in the 55kg weight category, however, couldn't get the visa. "We were informed that his verification from Slovakia police could not be received so the visa was not issued. Anyway his weigh-in is on Monday, so if he gets the visa by Friday, he can leave with the women's team, who is scheduled to depart at night on August 16," a source from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) told this daily.
The women wrestlers and their support staff are expected to receive their visas on Friday (Saturday is a holiday due to Independence Day). The men freestyle wrestlers will fly out after midnight on August 18 as competitions in their category are scheduled in the last three days of the championships.
TNIE in its August 11 edition highlighted the issue as the WFI could not get visa appointments from Slovakia Embassy in New Delhi for its wrestlers despite requesting for the same on July 21. Later, the federation was told that the process apparently got delayed because of human trafficking. "We have been informed that a few athletes (not wrestlers) from India visited Slovakia in June and some of them went missing from the country. This cast doubt on our wrestlers as well, which is why the visa process got delayed," a WFI official had said then.
Given the situation, the WFI requested the union ministry of external affairs, sports ministry, the world governing body, United World Wrestling and Slovakia Wrestling Federation to intervene and get the issue resolved. The WFI's counterparts from Slovakia also confirmed that the Indian wrestlers faced visa issues. "We have only received unofficial information about problems with issuing visas for athletes of other sports, but we do not have official information about who it was and what the problem was," Jan Karsnak, president Slovak Wrestling Federation, had said. On being asked whether the problem is related to the Indian athletes, he said, "Allegedly yes, but it's definitely not wrestling."
The WFI has also given a guarantee to the Slovakia Embassy saying all members of the India team will return upon completion of the event and can also visit the Embassy for head counting if needed. The India contingent comprises 45 members including 30 wrestlers (10 each in men's freestyle and Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling), nine coaches, three physiotherapists and three referees.
