3 days out from U23 World Wrestling C'ships, WFI still hoping for women's visa clearance

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is hoping for a favourable response from the US Embassy on the rejected visa applications of four U23 World Championships-bound women grapplers, as their events are scheduled to begin at Las Vegas only on Wednesday.

Five Greco Roman and four women wrestlers were denied visas for being under 20 years of age and unemployed.

With the women's competition scheduled to begin from Wednesday, the WFI is hopeful that the two-day window following Sunday will give the embassy time to reconsider its decision and issue visas to Parveen (50kg), Ahilya Shatrughn Shinde (55kg), Neha Sharma (57kg) and Neha Sangwan (65kg).

WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said the federation was making efforts to resolve the issue and was hopeful of a positive outcome.

"We are hopeful that the US Embassy will reconsider the decision, particularly in the case of our women wrestlers. They have prepared for this competition and we are making every possible effort to ensure that they get an opportunity to represent India at the World Championships," Tomar said.

The U23 World Championships begin in Las Vegas Monday (October 12).

The five Greco-Roman wrestlers denied visas are: Samarth Gajanan Mhakave, Dheeraj Kumar Malik, Sachin Kumar, Nikhil and Hardeep.

The Greco Roman event will begin on Monday, featuring events in 60kg, 67kg, 72kg, 82kg and 97kg.

The women's wrestlers who have been issued visas are: Sweety (53kg), Komal (59kg), Vaishnavi Patil (65kg), Mansi Lather (68kg), Amruta Pujari (72kg) and Diksha Malik (76kg).

All men's freestyle wrestlers have been issued visas.