The wrestling squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics will probably be finalised by a two-step choice course of, the place the grapplers who’ve earned the quota locations for the nation, will compete in opposition to a challenger in June and the winner will symbolize India within the quadrennial showpiece. To this point solely Antim Panghal, the world championships bronze medallist in 53kg class, has earned a quota place for the nation and he or she too should compete in opposition to a challenger on June 1 to know whether or not she’s going to go to Paris or not.
The younger Antim may find yourself competing in opposition to arch-rival Vinesh Phogat for the Paris berth if the 2018 Asian Video games gold medallist emerges a “challenger”, which will probably be decided on Might 31.
The IOA constituted ad-hoc committee acknowledged in an announcement on Saturday that each one the challengers will probably be decided on Might 31 and the “wrestle-off” between the “Challenger” and Olympic quota winner will happen on June 1.
Whereas solely Antim has been in a position to clinch an Olympic quota place for the nation, extra wrestlers are anticipated to earn slots for India within the two upcoming occasions — the Asian Olympic Qualifier in Kyrgyzstan (April 19-21) and the World Olympic Qualifiers in Turkey (Might 9-12).
India can earn 17 extra Paris quota locations within the two tournaments — six every in males’s free-style and greco-roman and 5 within the ladies’s class.
All the long run quota locations winners too should compete in opposition to a challenger to safe a Paris spot.
The ad-hoc committee, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, stated in an announcement that the “complete choice coverage” for the 2024 Paris Olympics will guarantee a “truthful and clear course of in figuring out the athletes who will symbolize India on the worldwide stage”.
Antim, the two-time under-20 world champion, has, nonetheless, been exempted from showing within the trials in February to pick the staff for the 2 Olympic qualifying occasions in Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
The opposite members of the Indian contingent for the 2 Olympic qualifying occasions will probably be chosen on the idea of trials, to be carried out in all 30 Olympic and non-Olympic classes, from February 27-29.
All grapplers who had been a part of the Hangzhou Asian Video games and 2023 Senior World Championships can compete within the February trials, moreover worldwide medallists in numerous championships, winners of open trials in U-17, U-20, U-23 classes and all senior Nationals and Nationwide Video games medallists this yr.
Bajwa, when requested whether or not Indian grapplers will compete below the United World Wrestling (UWW) flag on the Paris Olympics for the reason that Wrestling Federation of India has been banned by the worldwide physique, instructed PTI that, for the reason that Olympics and Asian Video games are multi-discipline occasions, “they may compete as a part of the Indian contingent”.
UWW had banned WFI earlier this yr for its failure to carry elections inside a stipulated time-frame. The election course of has been stalled due to authorized points.
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