For India spot, Olympic quota wrestlers must win selection bout

NEW DELHI: Winning an Olympic berth at a qualifying event won’t automatically guarantee a wrestler a place in the Indian contingent for the Summer Games. The quota-winning wrestler will now have to mandatorily appear in a one-bout match with the winner of the selection trial to con- firm his/her place in the Olympic-bound squad. The final selection will be confirmed only after these one-bout matches have been held.

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The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday announced a selection policy change governing the conduct of coaching camps, eligibility for national trials and selection of wrestlers for international competitions including Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games and World Championships.




According to the new policy framework, trials have been made mandatory for wrestlers with an objective to provide “a fair opportunity to competitors; assessment of current form and fitness; transparency and credibility to maintain integrity by preventing bias and favouritism; and accountability and merit-based representation”.

For the Olympic Games, the federation’s policy stated: “Olympic quotas are awarded to the nation, not to individual athletes. WFI reserves the discretion to conduct trials for Olympic participation. The quota winner will not compete in the initial rounds. The winner of the initial trials will face the quota winner in a final bout. If the quota winner loses, they will be granted one additional re-bout to reclaim the quota.” TOI is in possession of the four-page selection policy.


The federation has also made it mandatory for all wrestlers, including elite and iconic athletes, to attend the national camp on priority, barring grapplers from training privately under their personal coaches at local academies or abroad. “To be eligible for the camp, a wrestler must have won a medal in the national championship of the year concerned. Once selected, the wrestlers are required to train exclusively at the designated national camp. No athlete is permitted to train independently at any other venue. Any wrestler who fails to attend the camp will be ineligible to participate in the selection trials,” the policy noted.

The federation has stated that the past performance will not be considered for trials. “Selection trials will be mandatory across all weight categories and only wrestlers who regularly attend the camp will be eligible.”