Asian Games 2023 Wrestling Trials: Delhi HC Directs WFI To Submit Report On Exemption to Elite Wrestlers

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The Delhi High Court on Thursday (July 20) directed the Wrestling Federation of India to submit its report on granting exemption to elite wrestlers for the upcoming Asian Games 2023 wrestling trials in New Delhi on July 22-23. The bench, Justice Subramonium Prasad, urged the WFI to submit the report today while the second hearing is tomorrow.

Wrestlers Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal moved the Delhi High Court earlier after trials for women's 53 kg and men's 65kg were called off as WFI's ad-hoc committee, appointed by IOA to run the day-to-day affair of the suspended federation, gave direct entry to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia in Asian Games 2023.

Both Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal, who took to social media a day earlier to show protest against the decision, challenged the ad-hoc committee call with less than 48 hours to go for the wrestling trials at the IG Stadium in the national capital.

IOA or the Indian Olympic Association addressed the media at the headquarters soon after the hearing as the body's acting CEO and joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey said that the report will be submitted as directed by the High Court. He further added that the ad-hoc committee will sit for a meeting on Friday afternoon as per the court's verdict.

Chaubey, who is also the head of the All Indian Football Federation, also interacted with the coaches and family members of Antim and Sujeet, who staged a protest outside IOA headquarters, ensuring them that a decision will be taken tomorrow afternoon at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Mallik, who was one of the leading faces of the wrestling protest, distant herself from the exemption granted to her fellow protestors and elite wrestlers, saying they never requested the IOA's panel for a direct entry into the Asian Games.

Sakshi, who is likely to compete in the trials on July 23, added that IOA did so in purrpose in order to divide the wrestlers. "I am against this move of sending names directly because I don't want that the right of any player is taken away. This is to spark a fight between the wrestlers because of which the names of two people have been sent directly. I am totally against it," Sakshi told ANI.