India will not be represented in five categories at the upcoming Zagreb Open in Croatia, as Bajrang Punia, Antim Panghal, and three others opted out of their selection by the ad-hoc panel that unveiled a 13-member team.
Antim Panghal, a bronze medalist at the Senior Worlds, declined her selection to attend the national sports award ceremony where she is set to receive the esteemed Arjuna award. Bajrang Punia, an Olympic bronze medalist, chose to skip the event due to his recent return without medals from the Asian Games and his ongoing recovery from a thumb surgery, delaying his mat training.
Among the men's freestyle category, Bajrang was notably absent as the ad-hoc panel enlisted Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Yash (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Vicky (97kg), and Sumit Malik (125kg), all of whom competed at the Hangzhou Asian Games. According to Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, head of the ad-hoc panel, while 13 wrestlers from the Asian Games squad consented, five declined the selection.
Panghal's absence was attributed to her commitment to attend the sports awards ceremony on January 9, a day before the Zagreb competition, as stated by her coach Vikas Bhardwaj. The selection process for the Zagreb Open team underwent scrutiny concerning visa procurement issues, which were resolved prior to finalizing the team for the tournament scheduled from January 10 to 14.
In women's freestyle, due to the lack of consent from Panghal (53kg), Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Mansi Ahlawat (57kg), and Kiran (76kg), only two wrestlers—Sonam Malik (62kg) and Radhika (68kg)—were chosen for the Ranking Series event.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is currently overseen by a three-member committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) following the suspension of the Sanjay Singh-led national federation by the Sports Ministry due to constitutional violations.
Thanks to timely intervention by the Ministry of External Affairs, the team of 25 Indians traveling to Zagreb managed to secure their visa formalities, as confirmed by Bajwa in a press release.
The finalized team composition includes wrestlers across freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's categories, alongside coaching staff, physiotherapists, masseurs, and referees set to represent India at the Zagreb Open.
(With Agency Inputs)
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