Ministry and WFI trade charge on proposal plan
New Delhi, Feb 14: Indian wrestlers may miss the second Ranking Series of the year in Albania after the Sports Ministry withheld approval, blaming the WFI for its failure to submit the necessary recommendations on time even as the federation denied the charge on Friday.
The wrestlers had already missed the first Ranking Series in Zagreb, Croatia, due to a tussle between the ministry and the suspended WFI.
The second Ranking Series is scheduled to take place in Tirana, Albania, from February 26 to March 2.
The Wrestling Federation of India, which was suspended by the ministry in December 2023 but remains recognised by the international body, had sent the proposal to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on January 30 — almost a month before the start of the tournament.
“The WFI sent the proposal at the last minute and there was a delay in sending the proposed names to the SAI. So, it can’t be processed and approved,” a source in the know-how of the developments said.
However, a WFI official said the proposal was sent well in time.
“We sent the approval on January 30 and got a reply the next day. The SAI wanted us to share the minutes of the meetings and we did that immediately. After that we did not hear from them. In the past even if a proposal was sent a week before the tournament, they were cleared how it was last minute this time,” said the senior WFI official.
The SAI official said the WFI did not conduct selection trial.
“We are always ready to sanction athletes for international tournaments but there is a laid-down procedure which we need to follow. Even on what basis the contingent was made was not clear as the WFI didn’t conduct any trials,” the SAI source added.
However, the WFI gave a reason for that.
“We are not supposed to conduct trials because we stay suspended. If we do, wrestlers like Satyawart Kadian will drag us to court, saying we are in contempt of court. So how are we supposed to do that.
“We picked the best wrestlers in each category based on their recent performances. What is wrong in this. If the ministry wants us to conduct trials they should lift the suspension, so that we are not embroiled in any court case,” the WFI official said.
While the ministry is yet to grant approval, sources suggest there is still a possibility of a reversal in decision.
The event will be followed by the Senior Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, from March 25-30, the third Ranking Series in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from May 29-June 1, and the fourth Ranking Series in Budapest, Hungary, from July 17-20.
Competing in Ranking Series is very important for Indian wrestlers, especially Paris Games bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat. By doing well there, they earn points and that helps them get seedings at World Championship.
Aman was seeded at the Paris Games, helping him avoid a tough draw. (PTI)