“The decision to give direct entry to Vinesh is unfair” - Antim moves to Delhi High Court over discriminatory qualification handed out for Asian Games

The decision of the ad-hoc panel constituted by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to oversee the day-to-day function of Wrestling in India (WFI) to give direct entry to Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat for the Hangzhou Asian Games has not gone down well with the wrestlers. The wrestling competition in China will be held from October 4 to 7.

The decision of an ad-hoc committee has not gone down well with 19-year-old Haryana’s international Antim Panghal, who is arch-rival of Vinesh.

“The decision to give direct entry to Vinesh is unfair. I’ve been working hard for the past so many months for the Asian Games,” Antim told Sportskeeda over the phone from Hisar. “We will speak to the officials of the ad-hoc panel, if they don’t agree for fair play, we might knock on the doors of the court or stage a dharna.”

Several other wrestlers were aggrieved by the three-page circular issued on Tuesday by the ad-hoc panel to give direct entry to two wrestlers for Asian Games.

“There is a strong possibility that effected wrestlers might go to the court or stage a dharna,” a national coach familiar with the development said.

Selection trials in six Olympic weight categories in men’s freestyle, Greco Roman (men) and women’s freestyle will be held on July 22 and 23 at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Sports Complex.

The selection trials will be held in 50, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg in the women’s group, while the winner of the 53kg bout will be a standby. Similarly, the winner of the men's 65kg bout will be a standby. The other five weight categories in the men’s category are 57kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg.

The exemption is being given under the WFI regulations of selection trials, with the selection panel headed by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, stated in the circular. Bajwa is also chairman of the ad-hoc committee overseeing the functioning of wrestling in India.

The WFI was suspended by the Sports Ministry in February this year by the sports ministry due to an alleged lack of good governance and sexual harassment against WFI former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.