The state has failed to field a women’s team at the Bihar Centenary Year All India Federation Cup Wrestling tournament that concluded at Patliputra Sports Complex on Tuesday.

While authorities rued that families thought twice before encouraging their girls to take up wrestling, women participants from other states said they were not treated like equals with their male counterparts at tournaments.

At the 1st Women’s World Cup Kabaddi tournament, the winning Indian team did not have a single player from Bihar. This time, although the state had male representation, there was not a single woman wrestler from Bihar.

Balbir Yadav, the convener of the Bihar Centenary Year All India Federation Cup Wrestling, said: “The state government has no role in the selection of teams. They are picked by the Wrestling Federation of India with the Bihar Wrestling Federation.”

He added: “Lack of popularity of wrestling in Bihar is another reason that a women’s team was not selected from Bihar. The people of Bihar have an orthodox mentality. They think twice before sending their girls to wrestle, which continues to be a male-dominated game.”

However, the wrestling tournament, organised as part of the Bihar centenary celebrations, did have women wrestlers from states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Some of them said they were not treated on a par with male wrestlers.

Kavita Goswami, a wrestler from Uttar Pradesh, said: “Wrestling is popular in western Uttar Pradesh. But women wrestlers do not get the same treatment as enjoyed by their male counterparts. There are also no government jobs for women wrestlers, and they are left with no other option but to search for jobs on their own.”

Kavita is a bronze medallist at 2006 Asian Wrestling Championship in the 44kg category. She has also participated in various national and international events like the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship in 2008.