'This is all wrong': Yogeshwar Dutt questions one-bout trials for protesting wrestlers

Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt has questioned Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) decision to reduce the Asian Games and World Championships selection to a one-bout competition for six protesting wrestlers.

The six wrestlers — Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Satywart Kadian and Jitender Kinha — will now not be required to take part in the initial trials and will straight the winners of the trials between 5 to 15 August.

Earlier the wrestlers had requested the Sports Ministry to allow them to take part in trials in August as they had been protesting for a long time against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment.

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IOA is required to send wrestlers’ names for Asian Games to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) within the 15 July deadline. But they will be allowed to change the names later if protesting wrestlers end up winning their one-bout trials.

Reacting on IOA’s decision, Dutt said that the one-bout trial process in “unfair on other wrestlers.

“I don’t know what is the criteria adopted by the committee to reduce the selection trials to a one-bout competition for six protesting wrestlers,” he said on Twitter.

क्या धरना देने वाले खिलाड़ियों का यही मकसद था? कुश्ती के लिए यह काला दिन!! #wrestling pic.twitter.com/OacaEJmpz5

— Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) June 23, 2023

“If the committee wants such a trial, then there are many wrestlers — like Olympic medalist Ravi Dahiya, world silver medalist Anshu Malik etc who performed well on the international stage. It is beyond my understanding to exempt six wrestlers from the trials.

“This is all wrong. To date, the earlier federation did not take the decision that you (the ad-hoc committee) have taken, without looking at any rules and without making any criteria,” he added.

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Former Olympian Dutt also claimed that protesting wrestlers wrote a letter to the ad-hoc committee asking for exemption from initial trials.

The former wrestler has asked other wrestlers to relay their concerns to IOA in a letter.

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