Haryana State Federation Proposes Dual Trials for National Championships

Wrestlers are inadvertently caught up in an administrative debacle, facing the repercussions of the chaos.

Wrestlers from Haryana face a challenging situation as the state federation has declared two distinct trials to select the team for the Senior National Championships.

Following the IOA ad-hoc panel’s declaration of the National Championships in Jaipur scheduled for February 2-5, recent developments have seen the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) labeling the decision as ‘illegal.’ The WFI intends to organize a separate National Championships in response to this announcement.

The power struggle for administrative control within the state wrestling federations has escalated, causing distress among wrestlers. Rohtash Singh, president of the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association (HAWA), has declared state trials in Sonipat on Jan 17-18. However, conflictingly, the HAWA general secretary issued a separate circular scheduling trials in Hisar on January 13 and 14.

Rohtash, who initially supported former WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh’s faction but switched sides before the WFI election to back the protesting wrestlers’ group, contested the joint secretary position and was defeated. Rakesh Singh, aligned with the newly-elected WFI, holds support from the opposite faction.

The ambiguity has left wrestlers anxious about their future. A Commonwealth Games medalist wrestler, preferring anonymity, expressed concern about conflicting trials and uncertainty surrounding federation governance.

Coach Rajesh Saroha from Sonipat emphasized the detrimental impact on wrestlers, fearing their exclusion from National Championships due to conflicting trial schedules. He urged clarity from the sports ministry to avoid a repetition of last year’s disruptions that affected athletes.

Rohtash’s notice mentions selection for the Senior National Championships in Jaipur, while the other circular refers to it as the Haryana Senior State Wrestling Championships.

The WFI had initially planned the Senior Nationals in Maharashtra by the end of January, pending a decision at the WFI executive committee meeting in Delhi on Jan 16.

Last year, Senior Nationals, age-group championships, and other domestic competitions faced cancellation amid the sport’s turmoil. The sports ministry suspended the newly-elected WFI due to sports code and constitution violations, appointing a three-member ad-hoc panel for governance and international team representation.

A senior WFI official stated that the ad-hoc panel lacks authority to conduct national championships in the presence of an elected body. They anticipate WFI to organize the National Championships, expecting state units to align accordingly.