In perhaps the biggest reward money in the game, the Haryana government on Friday announced that the top wrestler in a freestyle wrestling competition to be held in the state will get a cash prize of Rs.1 crore.
"With a view to commemorate the memory of great martyrs, namely Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, a freestyle national level 'Bharat Kesri Kushti Dangal' with highest ever cash prizes of Rs. 1 crore, Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh is being organised," Haryana's Sports and Youth Affairs minister Anil Vij said here.
The wrestling championship will be held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon from 21-23 March.
"It would be for the first time in the history of Haryana that such a national level event would be organised in the state. This event would be an annual feature," Vij said.
He said that the final of the tournament would be held on the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh falling on 23 March.
"The wrestler securing first position would be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1 crore. The first-runner up would get a cash prize of Rs. 50 lakh and the second-runner up wrestler would be awarded Rs 25 lakh. All the participants would get incentive money," the minister said.
The minimum age of participating wrestlers should be 17 years and above (as on 1 January 2016), with a bodyweight of 80 kg or more. Only those wrestlers who have won medals in national or international competition in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman categories over the last three years will be allowed to participate.
Vij said that wrestlers participating in the event would include Haryana Kesri and Hind Kesri wrestlers recognized by the Indian Wrestling Federation, wrestlers of state level wrestling competitions of all states, winners in National Games and Army sports competitions, Services sports meets, Railway sports competitions, All India Inter-University sports competitions and outstanding grapplers from different state police forces.
