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highlights
In a strange move, Spain has denied visas to 21 Indian wrestlers
These Indian wrestlers were to participate in the Under-23 World Wrestling Championship in Pontevedra
Among the wrestlers who missed out on the championships is U-20 world champion Aakhal Panghal.
New Delhi. In a strange decision, the Embassy of Spain has denied visas to 21 Indian wrestlers who were to take part in the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Pontevedra. The national federation said on Monday that the visa application was rejected only because they suspect that the players will not leave the country till the visa period expires.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had selected a 30-member team for the championship, which began on Monday, but only nine players were given visas. Among the Indian wrestlers who missed out on participating in the championship, Under-20 women’s world champion Anand Panghal is also included.
This is the first time that even after everything we are not able to go
WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar told PTI, “We have never faced such a situation before. Visas were denied to our wrestlers on flimsy grounds despite showing the approval letter from the Government of India and the invitation letter from UWW, the governing body of World Wrestling.
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How did they think that the wrestlers would not return
“We received the rejection letter this evening when we requested to return the passport at the earliest. This is really weird. It is really beyond our understanding how the authorities came to the conclusion that Indian wrestlers and coaches will not return to India. The WFI had also applied for visas for nine of its coaches, but only six got visas.
3 freestyle coaches got visa
Of the 10 freestyle wrestlers, only Aman (57kg) got a visa, while the applications of nine others were rejected. Interestingly, three freestyle coaches were given visas. Of the six Greco-Roman wrestlers and women, only Ankush (50kg) and Mansi (59kg) got visas.
Tomar said, “Now how can we send three coaches for one wrestler, so we are sending Jagmandar Singh along with Aman. Six Greco-Roman wrestlers have already reached Spain and two women wrestlers have left on Sunday.
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Tags: Spain, sports news, world championships
FIRST PUBLISHED : October 18, 2022, 07:00 IST
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