Wrestling: No late weigh-ins; Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalakal to Miss Asian Qualifiers

Two of India’s top wrestlers, Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalakal, will miss the continental tournament in Bishkek due to bad weather in Dubai that delayed their flight, making it impossible for them to report for the weigh-in on time. This is a major setback for the Indian wrestling team participating in the Asia Olympic Qualifiers.

Even though Punia and Sujeet were stuck at the Dubai international airport because of continuous rain and floods, they were finally able to travel to Bishkek, but reports claim they were unable to arrive in time for the required weigh-in.

The sources also said that, in spite of the Indian coaches’ requests, the organizers did not permit late weigh-ins.

Sujeet (65 kg) and Punia (86 kg), who had nearly medaled at the Tokyo Games, were traveling to Bishkek to compete in the Asia Olympic qualifiers, the second-to-last qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, when most of the flights out of Dubai were delayed or canceled due to flooding at the airport.

Due to the rain-induced situation in Dubai, the two, together with Russian coach Kamal Malikov and physiotherapist Shubham Gupta, were forced to sleep on the floor and were unable to obtain sufficient meals.

Since they are due to participate tomorrow, it seems like their hope of qualifying for the Olympics in Paris is slipping away from them. They have been stranded at the Dubai airport since April 16. There are no flights available to Bishkek. Dayanand Kalakal, Sujeet’s father, expressed his concerns to PTI on Thursday.

From April 2 to April 15, Punia and Sujeet were training in Dagestan, Russia, and made the decision to go via Dubai to get from Makachkala to Bishkek.

The World Qualifiers in Turkey in May will be the last opportunity to earn a ticket to Paris.