Asian Games organisers reject IOA request for extension of deadline for sending entries of Indian wrestlers

The Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC) has rejected the IOA’s request for further extension of deadline for sending entries by name of the Indian wrestling team for the continental multi-sporting event. The IOA had earlier requested the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to extend the deadline to send entries by name of the Indian wrestlers to August 5, but they were only given an extension of seven days (July 22). The HAGOC has set July 15 as the date for all competing countries to send the names of their athletes for the Asian Games (September 23 to October 8). On Monday, the IOA again requested the OCA to re-consider extending the date to sometime in August, which was finally been rejected by HAGOC. “The Hangzhou Organising Committee has rejected the IOA’s request for further extension. They conveyed it to the OCA and OCA has told this to the IOA,” an Indian Olympic Association source told PTI. With the July 22 deadline fast approaching for picking the Indian wrestling team and sending the names to HAGOC, the IOA’s ad-hoc panel will have to race against time to organise the trials and select the team for the prestigious event. The request for delaying of sending entries by name was earlier made by the six protesting wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold winner Vinesh Phogat. They had requested the sports ministry to extend the dates for the trials, saying, because of the agitation against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, they were not in prime shape to appear for the trials. The IOA chief had then written to the OCA to extend the date for sending entries by name to August 10 – later August 5. But the OCA only gave them an extension of seven days (July 22). But with the HAGOC finally rejecting IOA’s request, it remains to be seen what the ad-hoc panel led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa will do in the next couple of days to hold trials at the earliest. Besides, the one-bout proposal for the six protesting wrestlers is also off the table. The ad-hoc committee had come up with a proposal where the six protesting wrestlers had to appear for just a one-off bout against the winners of the trials in their respective categories. But following strong opposition from wrestlers, their coaches and parents over the “favour” being given to the protesting wrestlers, the ad-hoc panel has shot down its own proposal.