No reprieve for Olympics quota wrestlers from trials in new WFI selection policy

New Delhi: Olympics quota-winning athletes are mandated to appear in a final one-bout selection trial in Wrestling Federation of India’s new selection policy.

The policy was approved after discussion at WFI’s recent general council meeting held in Ahmedabad on the sidelines of its Nationals.

Attendance at national camps are also mandatory for selection eligibility, it has been decided in the policy that has been presented to Sports Authority of India for review and feedback.

"Participation in the National Coaching Camp is mandatory for all wrestlers, including elite and iconic athletes. To be eligible for the camp, a wrestler must have won a medal in the National Championship of the concerned year," it is written in the policy, as quoted by PTI.

"Once selected, wrestlers are required to train exclusively at the designated national camp. No athlete is permitted to train independently at any other venue."

A provision has been kept to keep a list of reserve wrestlers in handy, who would be called up for national duty in case selected ones are ruled out with injury.

Past performances won’t be considered for selection trials and performance at trials would be the benchmark.

"We are not going to give trials exemption to anyone. No athlete can sit on past achievements. In the past, few athletes had asked for exemption which is not fair to up and coming wrestlers, WFI will give equal opportunity to all," a WFI official told PTI.

To be eligible for national camps, "a wrestler must have won a medal in at least one of the following competitions of the concerned year: National Championship, Federation Cup and any other WFI-recognised competition”.

Trials are mandatory before major international competitions such as Olympics, Asian Games, Continental Championships and World Championships and is aimed to provide fair opportunity, assessment of form and fitness, transparency, accountability and merit-based representation.

Olympic quotas are awarded to nations and not to individual athletes and WFI reserves the right to conduct trials for participation, clarifying that quota winners won’t compete in the initial trials and will fight it out with the winner of the trials and if he/she loses, will be given a second chance to reclaim the quota.

WFI president would chair the selection committee, which would also include the secretary general or vice president and have either a Dronacharya/Arjuna/Dhyanchand awardee apart from chief coach of that discipline and the foreign coach.