The Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) has rejected the IOA’s request for further extension of the deadline for sending entries on behalf of the Indian wrestling team for the continental multi-sport event. The IOA had previously requested the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to extend the deadline for sending entries in the name of the Indian wrestlers to August 5, but they were only granted a seven-day extension (July 22).
The HAGOC has set July 15 as the date by which all participating countries must send the names of their athletes for the Asian Games (September 23 to October 8).
On Monday, the IOA again requested that the OCA reconsider an extension of the date to sometime in August, which was ultimately rejected by HAGOC.
“The Hangzhou Organizing Committee has rejected the IOA’s request for further extension. They have passed it on to the OCA and the OCA has told the IOA,” an Indian Olympic Association source told PTI.
With the July 22nd deadline fast approaching to choose the Indian wrestling team and send the names to HAGOC, the IOA’s ad hoc panel will have to race against time to organize the trials and select the team for the prestigious event.
The request to postpone the sending of named entries had previously been made by the six protesting wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold winner Vinesh Phogat.
They had requested the sports ministry to extend the dates for the trials as they were not in top form to appear for the trials due to the unrest against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The IOA chief had then written to the OCA to extend the date for sending named entries to August 10 – later August 5. But the OCA only gave them a seven-day reprieve (July 22).
But with the HAGOC ultimately rejecting the IOA’s request, it remains to be seen what the ad hoc panel headed by Bhupender Singh Bajwa will do in the coming days to hold trials at the earliest.
By the way, the one-off proposal for the six protesting wrestlers is also off the table.
The ad hoc committee had made a proposal requiring the six protesting wrestlers to fight only a one-time bout against the winners of the trials in their respective categories.
But after strong opposition from wrestlers, their coaches and parents over the “favor” being shown to the protesting wrestlers, the ad hoc panel rejected its own proposal.
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