Wrestling World Championships 2019: From Indians in action to Tokyo Olympics 2020 quotas on offer, all you need to know

With quotas for the Tokyo Olympics on offer, the 2019 Wrestling World Championships, to be held at the Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan, will be keenly contested with the best grapplers from the world in attendance. The event, which will start on Saturday, will have world titles on offer in 30 weight classes across men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling. However, only 18 categories will offer Olympic quotas. [caption id=“attachment_6509301” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Bajrang Punia[/caption] India’s challenge at the event will be led by World No 1 Bajrang Punia, who has also been given top seeding in the men’s 65 freestyle event. And while the spotlight will be on Bajrang, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar will also be in the fray in the 74kg weight class after eight years. Sushil is the only Indian to have won gold at the prestigious event, albeit in the 66kg category in 2010. In women’s wrestling, all eyes will be on Vinesh Phogat, who has moved up to the 53kg category. The stacked field at Nur-Sultan will present the sternest test of her credentials in the new weight class. Here’s all you need to know about the showpiece event: When will the World Championships start? The World Championships will be held from 14-22 September at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Which weight classes will have quotas on offer? There are 18 categories which have Olympic quotas on offer as they will be part of the Olympic program at Tokyo 2020. Men’s freestyle: 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg. Greco-Roman: 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg. Women’s wrestling: 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg. How many quotas will be available in each weight class? The top six finishers (gold, silver, two bronze and two fifth-place finishers) will earn their country a spot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Will it be shown live in India? Yes, all the contests will be shown live on SONY TEN 3 SD & HD and SONY ESPN SD & HD channels. Livestreaming will be available on SonyLIV and Wrestlingtv.in, where users can also access behind-the-scenes and training videos. Who are the Indian grapplers competing? Here’s the full Indian squad: Freestyle wrestling: Ravi Kumar (57kg), Rahul Aware (61kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Karan (70kg), Sushil Kumar (74kg), Jitender (79kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Parveen (92kg), Mausam Khatri (97kg), Sumit (125kg). Women’s Wrestling: Seema (50kg), Vinesh Phogat (53kg), Lalita (55kg), Sarita (57kg), Pooja Dhanda (59kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), Navjot Kaur (65kg), Divya Kakran (68kg), Komal Bhagwan Gole (72kg), Kiran (76 kg). Greco-Roman wrestling: Manjeet (55kg), Manish (60kg), Sagar (63kg), Manish (67kg), Yogesh (72kg), Gurpreet Singh (77kg), Harpreet Singh (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Ravi (97kg), Naveen (130kg). What is the schedule of individual events? 14 September: Greco-Roman preliminary rounds for 55kg, 63kg, 72kg and 82kg. 15 Sept: Greco-Roman preliminary rounds for 67kg, 87kg, and 97kg. Greco-Roman Finals for 55kg, 63kg, 72kg and 82kg 16 Sept: Greco-Roman preliminary rounds for 60kg, 77kg and 130kg. Greco-Roman Finals for 67kg, 87kg, and 97kg. 17 Sept: Women’s wrestling preliminary rounds for 50kg, 53kg, 55kg and 72kg. Greco-Roman Finals for 60kg, 77kg and 130kg. 18 Sept: Women’s wrestling preliminary rounds for 57kg, 59kg, 65kg and 76kg. Women’s wrestling Finals for 50kg, 53kg, 55kg and 72kg. 19 Sept: Women’s wrestling preliminary rounds for 62kg and 68kg. Men’s freestyle preliminary rounds for 57kg and 65kg. Women’s wrestling Finals for 57kg, 59kg, 65kg and 76kg. 20 Sept: Men’s freestyle preliminary rounds for 70kg, 74kg, 92kg and 125kg. Women’s wrestling Finals for 62kg and 68kg. Men’s freestyle Finals for 57kg and 65kg. 21 Sept: Men’s freestyle preliminary rounds for 61kg, 79kg, 86kg and 97kg. Men’s freestyle Finals for 70kg, 74kg, 92kg and 125kg. 22 Sept: Men’s freestyle Finals for 61kg, 79kg, 86kg and 97kg.