The nation's top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, want to attend a training camp in the USA before competing in the Asian Games selection trials. They are still awaiting the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to respond to their request. The sports ministry has been waiting on a request in this regard.
These wrestlers, who have staged a historic protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its ousted president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, have asked the sports ministry to postpone the date of selection trials so that they will have more time to train for it. They have expressed their desire to represent India at the Hangzhou Asian Games, scheduled for September-October.
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The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was asked by the ministry to request time from the OCA. The IOA sends entries for the Asian Games, and the final list must be sent by July 15 to be considered. However, the wrestlers want at least a month to prepare and by August 10 for the trials to take place.
"Bajrang, his wife Sangeeta Phogat, Vinesh, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian have submitted the request to the sports ministry. They want to train in Michigan, USA. They have procured the letter of permission from the centre which specifies expenditure per athlete," sources told New Indian Express.
Have such requests been granted before?
In March of this year, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) granted Bajrang and Vinesh's petitions to train in Kyrgyzstan and Poland, respectively.
Vinesh wanted to practice in the Olympic Preparation Centre in Spala, Poland for 11 days, while Bajrang wanted to train in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan for 16 days.
The permission includes financial aid for athletes' airfare, camp expenditures, including the cost of instruction, boarding, and accommodation, and other charges, including airport transfers, insurance, internal travel, and out-of-pocket money.
Will the deadline be extended?
The OCA is still considering the IOA's request. According to the preliminary negotiations, it is thought that the OCA may have trouble convincing the organising committee to grant an extension.
The final list of athletes must be submitted by July 15; if sources are to be believed, it will be challenging to change the deadline because numerous stakeholders are engaged.
The Asian Games will feature approximately 35 sports and 45 nations. The idea is that if something will change for one person, it must also change for others. However, it is known that the OCA is making every effort to provide wrestlers with relief.
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