PINNED OFF THE MAT

After 22 nationals and other events last year, the Indian wrestlers have got only one national tournament so far this year; irreparable damage especially for junior players

- FIROZ MIRZA

THE wrestlers' historic protest at Jantar Mantar in January meant the now-suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had to postpone the ongoing National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. The tournament was later held but as the protest continued with the former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh being booked by the Delhi police and later charge-sheeted, it remains the only event to be held in the country to date.

Six months have passed and no national championships have been organised so far. If compared with 2022 when the WFI had organised more than 20 tournaments, it looks highly unlikely that the wrestlers will be able to get as many competitions in 2023.

"Till 2017, the WFI used to organise only three nationals (senior, junior and cadet). Between 2017 to 2021, the federation increased the number of tournaments to seven or eight by including events like U-23 nationals and traditional wrestling," an official, who has been associated with the WFI for a long time, told this daily.