WFI chief confident of clearance for Chinese squad for Asian Championships

The tournament will be held in New Delhi from February 18 -23

wrestling-afp Representational image | AFP

Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said he was confident that the Union government will clear the Chinese squad ahead of the upcoming senior Asian Wrestling Championships, in the wake of the deadly Coronavirus outbreak in China.

The tournament will be held at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from February 18 -23. Twenty Asian countries are set to participate in the competition.

Singh said that the Chinese counterparts had written to WFI saying they had screened, tested their 40-member squad and were keen to arrive early in India. "We are trying our best to ensure that Chinese contingent is permitted to participate in the tournament. The Chinese federation has sent us a request letter to us saying they have tested all their wrestlers and support staff and no one is affected by the Coronavirus. We have forwarded the letter to MEA, I have also spoken to the external affairs minister [S. Jaishankar], emailed them and written to them explaining the situation. There should be no problem hopefully in getting the clearance."

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said it is a “sensitive issue”. "Coronavirus is an epidemic and it is a health issue and the Health Ministry and External Affairs Ministry is taking care of it. It is sensitive issue but we have to host international events," Rijiju said.

Singh, however, made it clear that the Chinese wrestlers will have to go through the protocol set for the virus detection upon arrival.

On the issue of Pakistan's participation in the event, the WFI president exuded confidence that there would not be any restrictions. He cited a letter by the United World Wresting—the international body for the sport—which reminded the host country of its obligation to issue visas to all participating nations without any discrimination. If India denies visas, it will risk ban on hosting tournaments. Last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had suspended all Indian applications to host future events after two Pakistani shooters were denied visas to compete in New Delhi.

"The letter clearly states that the host country cannot stop any country from participating. If we do so, we will face repercussions. This is an Olympic year and the Asian qualifying event is also due after this, where we are expecting more quotas to be sealed. We cannot afford any action against us," said Singh.

Allaying WFI's concerns on Pakistan getting visas, Rijiju said, "Every time this matter comes up, but it is very clear. India abides by the Olympic charter. We are thus bound to issue visas to every participating country if we are hosting an international competition."

Four Indian wrestlers have already qualified for Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Singh expects more qualifications in the next qualifying tournament which was scheduled to be held in China but will be shifted because of the Coronavirus outbreak. WFI is trying to get it to India, for which a smooth passage for all participants is the key.

Singh also said that he expected Indian wrestlers to give their best-ever performance in Tokyo Olympics, by winning four medals in Tokyo, beating their best-ever haul of two Olympic medals in London in 2012.

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