Asian Games 2018: Wrestling Federation of India still awaiting approval for foreign coaches

What’s the story?

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) put in a request for foreign coaches to accompany Team India to the Asian Games that begin in August but the government is yet to give the nod for the decision.

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The Asian games commence on the 18th of August for which the national camp starts soon. While our wrestling squad is all set, there is still no news on the status of their coaches. The coaches are approved by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), who are responsible for the approval of names and payment of salaries.

The heart of the matter

Vinod Tomar, assistant secretary of WFI, told Sportskeeda, “While India have previously taken foreign coaches to such events, there has been a delay this time. The proposal for the same has been sent to the Government of India, which is yet to be approved. As soon as the decision is sanctioned, the WFI will send an official invite to the coaches.”

On being asked about when the issue would be solved, he replied, “A meeting will be held today itself for deciding about the predicament of the coaches," before adding, "The training camp would be held in Sonipat and Lucknow, at the SAI centres commencing from the 10th of May.”

What’s next?

With the wrestling team heading into the Jakarta Asian Games training camp without a foreign coach, as it seems as of now, India would be on the back foot before the main events even start. It seems like the delay would be a huge blow to the squad, who could have been utilizing this time to familiarize themselves with the new coaches.

Author’s take

Despite winning 11 medals in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, out of which 5 were gold, wrestling still seems to not be a priority with the Government of India. It is to be seen if they can fast-track the appointment so that our players do not skip out on valuable training time.