Wrestling
WFI oversight committee clears 27 wrestlers for ranking series in Egypt
The WFI oversight committee appointed by the Sports Ministry has cleared 27 wrestlers, to participate in the 2nd Ranking Series ‘Ibrahim-Moustafa’ tournament.
Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Anshu Malik and Sarita Mor sit on protest to talk to media about WFI President. (PritishRaj/TheBridge)
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) oversight committee appointed by the Sports Ministry has cleared a contingent of 43 members, including 27 wrestlers, to participate in the 2nd Ranking Series ‘Ibrahim-Moustafa’ tournament.
The event, which would take place in Alexandria, Egypt from 23rd-26th February will be crucial to gain ranking points for better seeding at the Senior Asian Championships 2023 and the Senior World Championships 2023.
The Indian team will consist of 9 Freestyle Wrestlers, 8 Women Wrestlers, and 10 Greco-Roman Wrestlers along with 16 coaches and support staff.
The 27 wrestlers will also include 3 Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) Wrestlers i.e. Ashu 67 kg GR, Bhateri 65 Kg WW & Sujeet 65 Kg FS.
"We want to ensure that the sport and the athletes do not suffer and more and more wrestlers get international exposure, so they can have the opportunity to compete against the best in the world," said Mary Kom, the chairperson of the oversight committee.
So far as many as 9 current and former World Championship Gold medalists have registered for the 2nd Ranking series.
A five-member oversight committee including Mary Kom, Yogeshwar Dutt, Trupti Murgunde, Rajagopalan, and Radhika Sreeman, was appointed to look after the daily affairs of WFI in the aftermath of the three-day long wrestlers' protest. Babita Phogat was later added to this committee.
The oversight committee was also asked to investigate the allegations levelled against the WFI by the wrestlers'. They are expected to submit a report with their findings later this month.
