Wrestling National camps to begin from next week

The men’s and women’s national camp will restart next week to begin preparations for the upcoming senior wrestling world championships. The training camp will be held in Sonepat for freestyle and Greco Roman and in Lucknow for women’s wrestling.

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) assistant secretary Vinod Tomar told Sportskeeda:

“We will start the camp by September 2. It is when we have to send the final list to United World Wrestling for the worlds. So, we have asked everyone to reach the camps by then too.”

This will be the first senior camp since the nationals that were held in January this year. The wrestlers will need to carry a negative RT-PCR report to enter the premises.

“There will be strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. We cannot afford any lapse. Have asked everyone who will join the camp to bring a negative RT-PCR report taken 72 hours before their arrival to the SAI centre,” Tomar added.

A total of 36 wrestlers across the three wrestling styles will be part of the camp. The WFI has asked wrestlers to inform them in advance in case anyone wants to withdraw from the training camp.

WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said this would avoid last minute changes and also not hamper training of wrestlers in that particular weight class.

“We don’t want any chaos in regards with restarting the camp. I have asked everyone to inform us latest by Monday if they are attending to the camp or not. In case anyone withdraws we will consider the wrestler who finished third in the selection trials. If s/he also pulls out then the wrestler attending the camp can bring his own sparring partner,” Singh said.

WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to visit wrestling camps

Singh also plans to visit the Sonepat and Lucknow camp and talk to the wrestlers. He plans to discuss the matter apropos foreign coaches contract during his visit.

“We all have been so busy with all the felicitation and then the nationals. Even our wrestlers have not got any time to rest. So, I will visit them once, talk to all the wrestlers and during that time only will discuss the matter with the concerned people,” he said.

The wrestling federation will also organize re-trials in weights where there was only one wrestler.

They are 63 kg and 82 kg in Greco-Roman, 92 kg in freestyle and 76 kg in women's wrestling.

“Since there was only 1 wrestler in the following weight categories, therefore, the Selection Committee decided to hold the trial in these weight categories in next week,” Vinod Tomar, WFI assistant secretary said.