Wrestling: Selection Trials & Direct Entry Policies Must Be Clear and Precise
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2023-07-22 06:20:08
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
Wrestling is once again in the news and again for wrong reasons. The powers-that-be have decided that two wrestlers, namely Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat (who incidentally were at the forefront of the agitation against former WFI chief B B S Singh), would be India's direct entry, without any trials to deicde who is best suited to represent the country, in their respective weight categories in the Asian Games. This has caused other wrestlers, who fancied their chances, to approach the courts to force trials. This has become a recurring feature in the sport mainly due to unclear policies for trials and direct entry. The rules of the Wrestling Federation of India governing sending wrestlers to international meets are not well defined and leave a lot of space for arbitrariness. Other wrestlers are now questioning why Punia and Phogat have been granted exemption from trials although their current form is not known and there are other wrestlers in their weight category that may be better placed to win a medal for the country.
In most other countries, trials are a given. Past laurels are not considered more important than current form. Someone who won a gold medal in an international meet two or three years ago cannot consider himself or herself first among equals as current form and the emergence of a better athlete in the in the intervening period is also taken into account. India must also follow a crystal clear policy in these matters. The selection process of the person who is going to represent the country must be laid out in writing with no deviation for anyone, however celebrated he or she might be. That would give equal opportunity to all and sportspersons will not rest on past laurels. Courts of law are not the best place to settle such disputes. It must be the sports federation which must have set policies and act according to them.
