Punjab Wrestling Association Urges Fair Trials for Asian Games, Opposing Exemption for Bajrang Punia

The ad-hoc panel of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) faced increasing pressure regarding the fair conduct of trials for the upcoming Asian Games.The Punjab Wrestling Association (PWA) made its stance clear on Friday, asserting that Jaskaran Singh should compete in the 65kg category, and no wrestler should be exempted from trials in that weight class.

R.S. Kundu, the Secretary-General of PWA, wrote a letter to the panel's head, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, stating that no wrestler, specifically referring to Bajrang Punia, should be given exemption from trials. The letter emphasized that it would be unjust to Jaskaran Singh if selection trials were not conducted, as every eligible wrestler should have the opportunity to participate in the trials for the Asian Games 2023.

The PWA strongly recommended Jaskaran Singh's name for freestyle wrestling in the 65kg weight category and requested the ad-hoc committee to conduct selection trials accordingly.

Bajrang Punia has established himself as the dominant wrestler in the 65kg weight class, achieving remarkable success in international tournaments. He won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and has multiple medals from the World Championships.

Jaskaran Singh recently finished fourth at the U23 Asian Championship and won a silver medal at the 2021 Cadet World Championship.

Additionally, 24 women wrestlers from Chhotu Ram Akhada also requested a fair chance for all wrestlers to compete for a spot in the Indian squad bound for the Asian Games. They sent their emails to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and IOA President PT Usha.

Criteria Still Not Clear

The ad-hoc panel is yet to decide on the criteria and format for the trials scheduled to take place on July 22-23 at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. Gian Singh, a member of the panel, stated that a meeting will be held on Saturday to finalize the criteria. So far, they have discussed three options.

One option is to send the names of the six protesting wrestlers (Bajrang, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Jitender Kinha, Satyawart Kadian, and Sangeeta Phogat) as reserves. However, replacing selected wrestlers would be extremely difficult unless there is an injury.

The second option involves holding initial trials to select the country's best four wrestlers in each category. These four wrestlers would then compete against the six protesting wrestlers, and the final winner would secure a place in the Indian team for the Games in Hangzhou, which will commence on September 13.

The third option is to proceed with the trials on July 22-23, and whoever competes and emerges as the winner would earn a spot in the Indian team.

The ad-hoc panel faces the challenge of ensuring a fair and transparent selection process for the Asian Games, while also addressing the concerns of the wrestlers and stakeholders involved.

On Saturday, the panel member Gian Singh announced that a meeting would take place to determine the final criteria for the trials. So far, they have considered three options. One option is to designate the six protesting wrestlers, including Bajrang, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Jitender Kinha, Satyawart Kadian, and Sangeeta Phogat, as reserves.