No Selection Trials for Paris Olympics, Quota Winners to Represent India

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced that no selection trials will be held for the Paris Olympics, and the six wrestlers who have secured quotas for the country will represent India in Paris. This decision has come as a surprise to many wrestlers, including Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Ravi Dahiya, who were preparing for the trials.

The five women wrestlers who have earned Olympic berths are Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), and Anshu Malik (57kg). Aman Sehrawat (57kg) is the only male wrestler to have secured a quota.

WFI president Sanjay Singh stated that the seven-member selection committee unanimously decided to exempt quota-earning wrestlers from trials for the Paris Olympics, citing "a one-time exception in the current peculiar circumstances." The committee members, including chief coaches Jagmander Singh (men) and Virender Singh (women), believed that conducting trials at this short notice could impact the wrestlers' performance at the Olympics and increase the risk of injuries.

"Five wrestlers had written to us to not hold trials as it will affect their preparation. They will have to reduce weight and it will shift their focus on trials. Since there is little time left for the Paris Olympics, the selection committee has decided to not hold trials and select the quota winners for the Olympics team, as WFI has been doing previously," said Singh.

The decision has disappointed Ravi Dahiya, who was hoping to challenge Aman in the selection trials. Dahiya, who is recovering from an ACL surgery, had lost to Aman in the selection trials in March for the two qualification competitions for Paris Olympics.

"I was preparing for the trials because we were told that the Paris Olympics team will be selected through trials. Now suddenly they are saying that there will be no trials. I don't know what to say," Dahiya told Hindustan Times.

"I was injured for a long time and it has taken time to recover. Since then I have been focusing on my training. The Paris Olympics is all I have been preparing for.. aur kya hai batao aap (What else is there for me?) It is very disappointing. I am trying to reach out to WFI. I will decide on my next step tomorrow," said Dahiya.

The decision has also affected other wrestlers, including Sarita Mor, who was preparing to challenge Anshu Malik for a Paris berth. "We just came back today from a training stint in the US," said her husband and coach Rahul Mor. "Now they are saying that there is little time for Paris, but the trials were to take place only after all the qualifiers were over. So why this change of decision?"

Vinesh Phogat, on the other hand, felt that the WFI's decision vindicated her call to compete in two weight classes for the Olympic qualification trials in Patiala. "A lot of people criticized me when I trialled in two weight categories (50kg and 53kg) in March but I knew WFI will be up to some mischief later," said Vinesh. "That's why I participated in two weight divisions in Patiala. All this while, we were told there will be a trial but suddenly they announce there won't be any trial. Is it fair to the wrestlers who appeared in the 53kg trials?"

The WFI's decision has raised questions about the fairness of the selection process and the impact it will have on the wrestlers' morale. It remains to be seen if any wrestler will challenge the decision in court.

Tags: #Wrestling, #ParisOlympics, #WFI, #RaviDahiya, #VineshPhogat