Paris Olympics: Antim Panghal's coaching staff and sparring partner stranded outside playing arena, training affected before first bout

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It has been four long days and members of the coaching team associated with promising female freestyle wrestler, Antim Panghal, have been stranded outside the playing arena in Paris for lack of accreditation at the Olympics 2024.

Antim and her team arrived in Paris on July 3 evening. The circumstances ahead of her Wednesday match in Paris today could have some impact at least on the final preparation of the teenage wrestler from Haryana making her Olympic Games debut.

Antim, who will compete in women's 53kg freestyle wrestling, and her coaching staff -- Bhagat Singh (personal coach) and Vikash Bhardwaj (sparring partner) along with physio arrived in Paris on August 3 evening. On arrival, Antim's sparring partner approached India's Chef de Mission (Gagan Narang) and other Indian officials in Paris but didn't get accreditation to have access to the wrestling arena for practice.

"Antim's practice hasn't gone on expected lines as I've not got accreditation to go to the venue," Antim's sparring partner Bhardwaj said over the phone from Paris on Tuesday. "I'm staying in a hotel and see no chance of getting accreditation for today's practice (Tuesday).

However, Antim's physio has got accreditation. On whether Antim was able to have good practice sessions on her arrival in Paris, Bhardwaj asserted she (Antim) could barely do the right kind of practice that was necessary to prepare for the major competition of her career.

Even Antim's personal coach got access to the playing arena for 10 minutes, claimed Bhardwaj. "It has been very upsetting for us as we are helpless and don't know whom to contact to get the accreditation," Bhardwaj added.

It wasn't a good build-up to the Paris Olympic Games for the 19-year-old World and Asian Games bronze. In July Antim raised her concern about the coaching staff (Personal and sparring partner) not getting a visa to travel to Paris.

There was also a blame game when Antim Panghal's coaching staff names were missing in the long list for Paris Olympic Games accreditation. PT Usha, president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) then squarely blamed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) ad-hoc panel for not furnishing the details of Antim's coaching team.

The promising teen wrestler from Hisar, Haryana, was the first to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games when she won a bronze at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade.