After nine months, the domestic wrestling season will start
The Senior National Championships, which will take place in Jaipur from January 2–5, will mark the return of domestic wrestling competition after a nine-month break, as the ad hoc committee stated on Friday.
Following the protests by elite wrestlers against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in April, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) suspended all wrestling tournaments for all age groups. The ad hoc committee conducted open trials before selecting teams for the Asian Games and other international events. The fact that there could be no national camp this year was the greatest setback, however.
Following the National Championships, the two qualifiers for the Paris Olympics will be selected, and preparations will start for the national camps. The Railways Sports Promotion Board is in charge of organizing the championships.
“The ad hoc Committee for WFI has decided to organize the 2023 Senior freestyle, Greco Roman, and women’s National Wrestling Championships from Jan 2 to 5, 2024,” the announcement said.
Top wrestlers Anshu Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Ravi Dahiya—all of whom are recuperating from injuries—have not yet been confirmed to participate. Asian Games competitor and bronze winner Bajrang Punia would want to start his season with the national title.
The two important competitions are the World Olympic Qualifiers in Turkey from May 9–12 and the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan from April 19–21. The ad hoc committee has already said that in order to guarantee their seats at the Paris Olympics, wrestlers who get quotas will need to prevail in domestic selection trials.
