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- Asian Games Direct Entry Dispute Hearing Update | Sakshi Malik Bajrang Punia Vinesh Phogat; Vishal Kaliraman, The Last Panghal
Panipat8 hours ago
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The trials for the Asian Games are to be held on July 22 and 23. Bajrang and Vinesh will not be involved in this.
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition filed against the exemption granted to wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia in the trials for the Asian Games. The petition was filed by wrestlers Last Panghal and Sujit Kalkal.
After the verdict, Panghal finally said that she will now take the matter to the Supreme Court.
A bench of Justice Subramaniam Prasad, while hearing the matter on Friday, had said that the court would pronounce its verdict tomorrow as the trial would conclude on Sunday. The bench had clarified that it would only see whether the procedure was followed or not. It will not deal with the issue of who is the better wrestler.
On the other hand, a hearing was held in the Delhi High Court on Thursday as well, in which the court sought an answer from the WFI on the issue.
In the last trial match between Panghal and Vinesh Phogat, there was a 3-3 draw between the two.
Wrestler Sakshi Malik targeted the government
At the same time, wrestler Sakshi Malik tweeted, ‘The government has done the work of breaking the unity of wrestlers by sending names directly to the Asian Games. I have never gone to play without trial nor do I support it. I am disturbed by this intention of the government. We had talked about extending the date of trials, but the government has put this infamy in our pocket.
Sakshi Malik further said- ‘I got a call from the government 3-4 days ago that we are sending Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat for the Asian Games, you will also mail them, you will also be sent. I flatly refused.
Learn from International Wrestler Divya Kakran’s coach Vikram Kumar what are the guidelines for sending names of players to the Asian Games?
- The Asian Games Council (OCA) has nothing to do with the country’s trials. For them, a team sent from the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA) and the National Association of Sports is required. The Asian Committee will consider the name sent by WFI as final.
- Trials for many sports are not held in India, but the IOA sends teams to the Asian Games only for those sports where the team’s Asian ranking is within the top-8. That’s why the cricket team is going to the Asian Games and not the football team. While the cricket team is at the top in Asia, the football team is at number 18 in the Asian rankings.
- IOA can also give priority to top-8 Asian players for sending names of individual players directly. This pattern is also followed in many sports, but not in wrestling.
- In 2013, when Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh became the chief of WFI, he made trials mandatory to send names of wrestlers to major championships like Commonwealth, Asian Games, World Championship and Olympic Games. Since then, every time only the wrestlers who are selected in the trials get a chance to play for India. That’s why wrestling trials are happening this time too.
- There will be open trials of wrestling on 22nd and 23rd July. In this, except Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, all the wrestlers will participate. The top wrestlers in the trials will represent India in the Asian Games. Vinesh Phogat plays in the 53kg category, against whom the petition was filed by the last Panghal of the same category. Bajrang plays in the 65 kg category. Sanjit Kalkal of the same category filed a petition against him.
Wrestlers who opposed the decision said – videography of the trial should be done
The petition has demanded that the trial should be conducted in a fair manner. No exemption should be given to any wrestler. The trial should be videographed.
The petition contended that these wrestlers, during their protest at Jantar Mantar, had said that their fight was for justice and the interest of junior wrestlers, now they want to sideline junior wrestlers. So we had to approach the court against this decision.