Direct Asian Games berths for Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya?

The wresting selection trials for the Asian Games will be held on July 22-23. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) ad hoc panel finalised the date and venue of the much-delayed trials on Wednesday after the Olympic Council of Asia turned down the request to extend the deadline for sending the final entries beyond a week.

"We tried our best to get an extension from OCA till August first week, but it did not happen. We have finalised the dates of selection trials on July 22-23 at the IG Stadium in Delhi. The criteria for selection trials will be decided tomorrow," ad-hoc panel member Bhupender Singh Bajwa said.

The six protesting wrestlers had asked the sports ministry for more time to prepare for the trials as they needed time to regain competition fitness after being on a sit-in for 45 days. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat were the only two Indian wrestlers to win medals at last year's world championships and are medal contenders at the Asian Games. While the coaches in the ad-hoc panel maintained that the six wrestlers won't be ready to compete in July, it was learnt that one criterion discussed for the trials was whether to give Olympic and world championships medallists direct berth for Hangzhou. If that happens, Bajrang (65kg), Vinesh (53kg) and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (57kg) will be directly included in the squad.

Any such move though is likely to spark criticism among the other contenders who have been preparing for a long time. Wrestlers have been preparing on their own in absence of a national camp. There are six weight divisions each for men and women and greco-roman wrestlers at the Asian Games.

On the first day of trials, Greco-Roman and women's competitions will take place. Freestyle trials will take place on July 23.

The dates will allow time for the wrestlers, taking part in the U-20 Asian Championships in Amman that ends on July 20, to participate in the trials.

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