Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat will have a fair opportunity to qualify for the Asian Games this year, as confirmed by insiders from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). These three athletes have been at the forefront of the movement against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faced allegations of sexually harassing at least seven women wrestlers.
Initially, the ad-hoc committee representing the WFI submitted the names of Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Punia and two-time World Championships bronze medalist Phogat to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as part of the preliminary long list for the Asian Games. Malik’s name was later added to the list. The selection trials are expected to take place from June 22 to 25 at the Indira Gandhi (IG) Stadium.
“We want to avoid any perception of bias. We want them to compete and earn their place in the national team,” said a source familiar with the developments. Both Phogat and Punia are defending champions at the Asian Games.
The WFI is currently in the process of revising the criteria for participation in the selection trials to accommodate the protesting wrestlers. “The new criteria are still being finalized, but we plan to invite medalists from the Tokyo Olympics, Commonwealth Games, national championships, and other international competitions to participate in the trials.
Typically, tournaments as far back as the Tokyo Games, which took place two years ago, or the Commonwealth Games with lower competition levels are not considered. These changes are being made exclusively to ensure Bajrang, Vinesh, and Sakshi have a fair chance to compete. We don’t want them to feel they were denied an equal opportunity,” explained an official.
Under normal circumstances, the trials would be open only to medalists from the national championships and national ranking tournaments in 2022, with international tournaments usually not considered.
Punia (65kg) and Phogat (53kg) last competed at the World Championships in Belgrade in September 2022, where they both secured bronze medals. Malik’s most recent competition was at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last August, where she won a gold medal. Punia and Phogat also earned gold medals in the Commonwealth Games.
After their initial sit-in protest in January, the wrestlers resumed training at the national camp, but Punia and Phogat decided to skip their sanctioned training trips to Kyrgyzstan and Poland, respectively. On April 23, they returned to Jantar Mantar but were forcibly detained and evicted 36 days later on May 28.
During their sit-in, the wrestlers trained sporadically at the Karnail Singh Stadium, but the lack of proper diet, training, and recovery led them to believe their chances of participating in the Asian Games were slim.
“While our chances at the Asian Games may be diminishing, seeking justice for the affected women wrestlers means more to me than winning an Asian Games or Olympics medal,” stated Punia last month.
