 "Sports Ministry joins hands with WFI over conducting trials for Asian Championships after pressure from UWW")
The Sports Ministry on Sunday decided to join hands with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on conducting trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships and Asian Olympic Qualifiers after pressure from the United World Wrestling (UWW).
According to a report on The Tribune, only referees who are registered with global body UWW are eligible to officiate the trials for the two continental events that take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan next month. The global body also made it clear that only the WFI, and not an ad-hoc body appointed by the government, was authorised to select teams for international events.
Read | UWW supports WFI, says it won't accept entries from any other entity
The trials, which are set to take place on Sonepat and Panipat on 10 and 11 March, had become a contentious issue with the Delhi High Court and UWW offering contrasting opinions on the validity of the Sanjay Singh-led WFI Executive Committee and whether they had any authority over the trials. Or whether they are even authorised to even run wrestling in the country in the first place, due to the newly-elected president’s close tries with tainted former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The Delhi High Court maintained that the trials would be conducted by the Bhupinder Singh Bajwa-led ad-hoc panel that had been constituted by the Indian Olympic Association to run the day-to-day affairs at the WFI. This was after the Sports Ministry suspended the WFI Executive Committe that had been put in place following federation elections on 21 December.
However, UWW president Nenad Lalovic fired back at the Sports Ministry claiming only the WFI was authorised to select teams for all continental and world events, including the Olympics, writing a letter on the same that has since put the Sports Ministry under pressure.
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View All“The ad hoc body will have little or no role in the selection or sending of the teams. The selection will be conducted by a team of referees who are registered with the UWW and the final list will be sent by the WFI, Lalovic was quoted as saying according to the report.
Read | WFI to allow only 'genuine' wrestlers to compete at upcoming wrestling trials
The ongoing tussle between the WFI and the Sports Ministry has impacted the Indian wrestlers and their preparations for the Paris Olympics that take place in July and August this year. Antim Panghal is the only Indian grappler to have clinched an Olympic quota so far, following her bronze at last year’s Senior World Championships in Belgrade.
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