Wrestling Trials for Asian Championships, Olympic Qualifiers to Remain on Mar 10, 11 – News18

The ad-hoc committee running the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will go ahead with its trials to pick the teams for the upcoming qualifiers of the Asian Championships and Olympic Games on March 10 and 11 in Sonipat and Patiala.

The trials will be held at SAI Sonipat for male grapplers (freestyle and greco roman), and at NIS Patiala for women wrestlers.

Trials will be held across all 30 weight categories.

The Olympic weight category’s winner will represent India at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers (April 19-21) and World Olympic Qualifiers (May 9-12), the Bhupender Singh Bajwa-led ad-hoc committee said in a statement on Thursday.

“Due to the close proximity of the Asian Wrestling Championships (April 11-16) and Asian Olympic Qualifiers, the runners-up in Olympic weight categories will represent India at the Asian Championships,” it said in the release.

Additionally, winners in non-Olympic weight categories will represent India at the Asian Championships.

Antim (53kg) will receive a direct entry to participate in the 2024 Asian Championships. Once wrestlers secure a quota either at the Asian Olympic Qualifier or World Olympic Qualifier, the quota winner will face a challenger on June 5.

To determine the challenger, a trial will be held on May 31, where only the top four wrestlers in 53kg and the top three wrestlers in other categories (where India has won a quota) emerging from the trials on March 10-11 will compete.

These challengers will play in the Nordic format and the winner of this will get to wrestle against the quota winner to determine who will represent the country at the Paris Olympics.

Earlier on Thursday, the WFI, which has been placed under suspension by the Centre, told the Delhi High Court it will withdraw its circular on conducting selection trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Wrestling Tournament.

Taking note of the statement made by WFI’s counsel, Justice Sachin Datta said the trials shall proceed as per the circular issued by the ad-hoc committee supervising the affairs of the national federation.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)