Following weeks of controversy and upheaval, wrestling is expected to return to a state of normalcy. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has called for open selection trials of U-15 and U-20 wrestlers, labeling it a fair and transparent process. The IOA also called for the suspension of the incumbent managing committee of WFI who had been accused of sexual harassment.
The selection trials were conducted at the SAI facility in Sonepat, and Kalyan Chaubey, Joint Secretary and acting CEO of IOA, visited to get a firsthand feel of the proceedings. Chaubey expressed his satisfaction with the transparent conduct of the trials and added that the selection camp was a much-needed break for the 2500 young athletes, who are happy to be back in the arena.
Our priority was to bring back normalcy in the day-to-day functioning of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), and the ad-hoc committee formed by Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Suma Shirur is working in collaboration with us to ensure that our young athletes are not denied the opportunity to represent India in the upcoming international competitions, added Chaubey.
The IOA plans to organize competitions for young wrestlers as a part of the return to normalcy in the coming months. The second set of selection trials had recently concluded with the previous one being the U-17 and U-23 camp, and a lot of young wrestlers eagerly await the opportunity to represent India in international competitions.
