Neeraj Chopra's South Africa training camp cancelled, wrestling championships postponed

Neeraj Chopra's South Africa training camp cancelled, wrestling championships Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra’s trip to South Africa for off-season training has been shelved due to the growing restrictions in the African nation after the discovery of a new variant of the novel coronavirus called omicron.

Chopra was supposed to train in Potchefstroom with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz. This would have marked Chopra's return to serious training post the Tokyo Olympics, where he became only the second Indian to win an individual gold medal with a throw of 87.58m. It was also India's first medal in Athletics. Chopra is currently training at the National Institute of Sport in Patiala.

An AFI official said they are now exploring another venue for his off-season training, probably in the United States.

“He was supposed to leave for South Africa in the first week but now it is cancelled because of the prevailing situation there. We are looking at other options where he can go,” he said.

The Commonwealth Wrestling Championships, scheduled to be held in Pretoria from December 3, has also been postponed.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was informed of the decision on Monday. A 60-member Indian team was supposed to leave for the tournament on Tuesday. WFI said it was in two minds whether to send the team and was in constant touch with the organisers before the event was called off.

“It would have been risky considering the present situation in South Africa, said WFI secretary Vinod Tomar.

Countries worldwide are restricting flights from South Africa. The organisers told WFI that England, Scotland, Pakistan, Singapore and Kenya have cancelled their participation.

The women’s junior hockey world cup, that was to be staged in Potchefstroom from December 5 to 16, was also postponed last week.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.