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Pakistani wrestlers get visas to India for the Asian Wrestling Championships 2020

Pakistani wrestlers get visas to India for the Asian Wrestling Championships 2020
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By

Sohinee Basu

Published: 16 Feb 2020 9:47 AM GMT

Amidst much anxiety, four Pakistani wrestlers scheduled to participate at the Asian Wrestling Championships being held at New Delhi, India was finally granted their visas for the 18th February to 23rd February.

The tense ties between the neighboring nations have been the cause for many a dispute in sports with the issuing of visas being the most common. Having to wait till the eleventh hour, the Pakistani contingent received their visas on 15th February evening and will be traveling to New Delhi on 18th February.

Politics had always inevitably played the part of an errant in matters like this forcing such anxieties to occur whenever an India-Pakistan matter is concerned. Sports, has sadly, not been exempt from this political glare too. However, thankfully, the four wrestlers from Pakistan who are taking part in the freestyle category event along with two accompanying officials from the Pakistan Wrestling Federation have been granted their visas in the nick of time. Speaking to The New Indian Express from Lahore, the PWF's Operational Manager, Farid Ali expressed, “It is a big relief for us, as uncertainty over our participation had started taking a toll on the preparation of our wrestlers. It is an important event ahead of the Asian Olympic qualifiers (lined up for March) and we certainly do not want to miss the opportunity," he said.

The tension has been thick in the air between India and Pakistan ever since the gruesome 14th February 2019, Pulwama terror attack took place. The Pakistani wrestling contingent comprising of Muhammad Bilal (57 kg), Abdul Rehman (74 kg), Tayab Raza (97 kg) and Zaman Anwar (125 kg) will be the first team to leap the barbed borders and come to India ever since Pulwama attack happened.

Given how the Pakistani wrestlers will be only taking part in the freestyle category which will take place on the last two days of the continent's showpiece wrestling tournament, their arrival will take place later than other teams participating in all three categories of Greco-Roman, Women's Wrestling and lastly the freestyle event. While China is still in two minds about participating in the Asian Wrestling Championships owing to the Corona Virus outbreak, nations like Turkmenistan and North Korea have decided to steer clear of the threat of the virus and avoid the event altogether.

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