Bajrang Punia and Deepak Punia opt out of the World Wrestling Championships

In a surprising development, wrestlers Deepak Punia and Bajrang Punia have decided to pull out of the World Wrestling Championships to be held in Belgrade, Serbia, starting on September 16.

The tournament is a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and this last-minute change of mind has left many confused, including the Sports Authority of India and the Mission Olympic Cell.

Bajrang Punia has proposed participating in a training camp in Issyk-kul in Kyrgyzstan. The camp will last 39 days, starting from the 21st of August.

Similarly, Deepak has requested that he be allowed to attend a training camp in Russia's Khasavyurt. Deepak's training camp would start on August 23 and continue till the 28th of September.

If permission is granted to attend the camp, Bajrang Punia will be accompanied by four people. The four people would include personal coach Sujeet Maan, sparring partner Jitender Kinha, physiotherapist Anuj Gupta, and strength and conditioning expert Kaazi Kiron Mustafa Hasan.

Meanwhile, Deepak will have a team of two that consists of coach Kamal Malikov and physiotherapist Shubham Gupta.

SAI & MOC unhappy with Deepak & Bajrang Punia's decision

Given the fact that the suggested dates of the international training camps collide with the Indian Olympic Association's dates for World Championship trials, SAI and MOC seem reluctant to let the wrestlers go.

While both Bajrang Punia and Deepak Punia claim that the training camps will help them better prepare for the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, SAI and MOC remain unconvinced.

As reported by the Times of India, a mail from SAI to the athletes read:

“Apart from ‘fit-to-play’ certificate before heading for the said camp, you are requested to submit reasons for not participating in senior World Championships trials because as per the dates mentioned by the ad-hoc committee for WFI, the senior Worlds trials for the freestyle category is on 26th August 2023, coinciding with the dates of your participation in the training camp. You are requested to please provide a reason for your potential absence from the WC trials."

Given SAI's demand, it remains to be seen whether the wrestlers are allowed to attend their suggested training camps.