The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has rolled out a revised selection policy that mandates compulsory attendance at national coaching camps for eligibility, prohibits independent training outside designated camps, and requires Olympic quota winners to face a final one-bout selection trial.
The new framework was deliberated and approved at the WFI’s recent General Council meeting held alongside the National Championships in Ahmedabad. The policy has also been shared with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for its feedback and review.
No national camp, no India jersey
"Participation in the National Coaching Camp is mandatory for all wrestlers, including elite and iconic athletes. To be eligible for the camp, a wrestler must have won a medal in the National Championship of the concerned year," the policy under the sub-head National Coaching Camps, stated.
"Once selected, wrestlers are required to train exclusively at the designated national camp. No athlete is permitted to train independently at any other venue," it added.
The stipulation implies that wrestlers returning to competition, including Vinesh Phogat who recently announced her comeback from retirement, will need to establish their credentials at the domestic level before being considered for national selection.
The policy further clarifies that failure to attend the national camp will render a wrestler "ineligible to participate in the selection trials".
It also provides for the creation of a reserve list of wrestlers, who may be called upon to represent the country in the event of an injury to a selected athlete.
Reiterating its stance on equal opportunity, the WFI stated that "past performances will not be considered for selection trials." "We are not going to give trials exemption to anyone. No athlete can sit on past achievements. In the past, few athletes had asked for exemption which is not fair to up and coming wrestlers, WFI will give equal opportunity to all," a WFI official told PTI.
The policy further specifies that "to be eligible, a wrestler must have won a medal in at least one of the following competitions of the concerned year: National Championship, Federation Cup and any other WFI-recognised competition."
Selection trials must for international competitions
According to the policy, selection trials will be mandatory for Indian teams competing in major international events, including the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Continental Championships and World Championships.
The stated objectives of conducting trials are to ensure fair opportunity, assess current form and fitness, and uphold transparency, accountability and merit-based representation.
The WFI reiterated that Olympic quotas belong to the nation and not individual athletes, reserving the right to conduct trials for Olympic participation. It clarified that an Olympic quota winner will not take part in the initial trials but will face the trials winner in a final bout. In the event of a loss, the quota winner will be given a second opportunity to reclaim the spot.
The selection committee will be chaired by the WFI President and will include the Secretary General or Vice President, along with a Dronacharya, Arjuna or Dhyan Chand awardee, the chief coach of the discipline concerned and the foreign coach.
Additionally, the chief coach may recommend barring a wrestler from trials on grounds of indiscipline or poor attendance. The selection committee may uphold such recommendations, and the WFI has reserved the right to initiate disciplinary action against wrestlers found overweight during international competitions.
The federation recently suspended Paris Games bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat for being overweight, before subsequently lifting the ban.