Wrestling Ad-hoc Body Postpones U-15 and U-20 Nationals

The Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) ad-hoc committee has postponed the Under-15 and Under-20 National Championships. This decision has been taken to ensure the safety of participants amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The competitions, which were scheduled to take place from September 21 to September 26 in Agra, have been postponed until further notice.

The decision was taken following a meeting chaired by the WFI ad-hoc committee president, BB Sharan Singh, with representatives of state associations and officials of the Uttar Pradesh government.

Singh, who is also an MP and a former WFI president, stated, “Considering the present circumstances, we have postponed the event for now. The pandemic is still around and it is better to be safe than sorry. We hope to hold the championship soon when the situation improves.”

The development comes after the WFI and ad-hoc committee secretary Vinod Tomar had previously stated that the National Championships would be held from September 21-26, with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place for participants, including a negative RT-PCR report.

The unresolved factionalism within the WFI is another factor that may have led to the decision to postpone the event. The situation has been worsened by the impending elections of the sports body, which were scheduled to take place in September but have been postponed due to the pandemic.

According to sources, the unity within the WFI’s ad-hoc committee is under threat due to the ongoing factionalism, which may lead to a prolonged delay in resolving the disputes.

Singh, who had previously held the position of WFI chief, was appointed as the ad-hoc committee president in July after the Olympic Games were postponed. The ad-hoc committee is currently running the federation’s affairs as fresh elections have not been held yet.

The WFI is expected to hold its Annual General Meeting in October, during which the new office-bearers of the federation will be elected. The event was initially scheduled to be held in August but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Wrestling Federation of India’s ad-hoc committee has announced the postponement of the Under-15 and Under-20 National Championships, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason. The event, which was supposed to take place in Agra from September 21-26, has been postponed until further notice. The unresolved factionalism within the WFI is also considered as a possible reason for the delay in holding the event. However, the committee hopes to hold the championship soon when the situation improves. The safety and well-being of participants are the top priority for the committee, and the decision to postpone the event was taken after careful consideration of the current circumstances.