The Delhi High Court, which was deliberating on the issue as to who between Sushil Kumar and Narsingh Yadav should compete in the 74kg category at Rio 2016 on Monday afternoon, dismissed the latter’s plea for a trial and gave the go-ahead for Narsingh to be India’s participant at Rio 2016.
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It has been a long and at times frustrating journey for not just the wrestlers, but also for the common public, who have had divided opinion on who among the two should make the cut to Rio 2016.
It all began with the veteran Sushil seeking a trial to decide who represents India at Rio in the 74kg category, after which Narsingh claimed that it was he who he deserved to go to the Summer Games since he had attained the Olympic quota by competing at the qualifying events.
In May, there were reports of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) sending Narsingh’s name to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), but a few hours after the news broke out, the secretary of the federation Mr. Vinod Tomar clarified that no decision was made on the issue at that point in time.
The matter further intensified when Sushil decided to take it to court and moved the Delhi High Court, seeking a trial over who should represent India.
Several past wrestlers and coaches have had their say on the issue. Olympian Gian Singh felt that Sushil, being the ‘biggest wrestler India has ever produced’, deserved the opportunity to go to Rio.
“The best wrestler should go to the Olympics. Sushil is the biggest wrestler India has ever produced and deserves a chance,” he said.
Former Secretary of the WFI Raj Singh said that the whole issue could have been avoided and instead, the wrestlers could have invested their energies in preparing for competitions.
“The WFI should have taken a decision on this issue much earlier. It should have told Sushil that he must take part in international competitions in order to be in contention. This is not good for the country. At this point of time, the wrestlers should focus on their training instead of getting involved in all this,” he said.
It needs to be noted here that Narsingh was the first Indian wrestler to win a quota for Rio 2016, which he did at the World Wrestling Championships last year.
