Breaking the hearts of numerous Indian wrestlers who were eagerly bracing to compete for India's quotas in the Paris Olympics, the Wrestling Federation of India announced on Tuesday that instead of holding trials, the quota winners will be the ones representing India in the upcoming Summer Games. (More Sports News)
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Singh made the significant announcement on Tuesday that there will be no trials for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Singh decided to go back to an old policy for selecting Olympic representatives. Unlike the 2021 policy by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, which involved trials to send the best, inform wrestlers to the sports' biggest arena.
With many quota winners reaching out to the federation for clarity on the upcoming trials as the Paris Olympics draw near, the WFI made the decision to confirm that no trials.
The WFI has also made it clear that the exemption from trials is a one-off thing and should not be used as a precedent in future.
The WFI decision slammed the Paris Olympic door on Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (men's 57kg) and World Championship bronze winner Sarita Mor in women's (57kg), who were preparing for trials.
This decision also implies that there won't be a trial between Vinesh Phogat and Antim Panghal for the 53kg category. Although the 53kg category is Phogat's preferred class, Antim secured the quota with a World Championship bronze last year.
Subsequently, Vinesh earned the 50kg quota at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, last month by cutting down her weight.
The other quota winners from India include Anshu Malik (57kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg), and Aman Sehrawat (57kg). All six wrestling quotas have been obtained in the freestyle category.
For the first time, the Indian contingent will feature only one wrestler in the men's category, marking a significant change.
