Protesters want to train in the US to prepare for Asian competitions

The wrestlers had previously requested the Ministry of Sport to postpone the trials to the month of August as they needed sufficient time to be in good physical and mental condition prior to the trials.

Protesters want to train in the US to prepare for Asian competitions. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi, June 21: After seeking a postponement of the Asian Games trials, the protesting wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, have now written to the Ministry of Sports that they want to train in Michigan, US to prepare for the trials.

The wrestlers had previously requested the Ministry of Sport to postpone the trials to the month of August as they needed sufficient time to be in good physical and mental condition prior to the trials.

“They wrote directly to Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. The minister has forwarded the request to the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), which is yet to discuss the matter,” a source from the Ministry of Sports told PTI.

“Vinesh, Bajrang, Sakshi Malik, Satyawart Kadian and Sangeeta Phogat wrote the letter,” he added.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is required to submit the names of all participating athletes to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) before July 15 and therefore the ad hoc panel is required to conduct trials for that.

The IOA has approached the OCA to extend the deadline to comply with the wrestlers’ request, but a relaxation is unlikely for India.

If the request is denied, the IOA cannot give the wrestlers much time for preparation.

“The only favor IOA can do the wrestlers is to postpone the trials as much as possible. Names must be given before July 15, so wrestlers don’t have 45 days to prepare. Maximum 20 days, trials must be conducted before July 15,” said the source.

The IOA itself has set a June 30 deadline for all National Sports Federations (NSFs) to provide details about their selected squads.

Meanwhile, several wrestlers who are ready for the trials have requested IOA through the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) that trials should not be postponed because they are ready for the match.

“The wrestlers were expecting trails in the last week of June, so they kept their weight accordingly. No one wants to compromise on their training for these protesting wrestlers,” said an IOA source.