India’s star wrestler Bajrang Punia still recovering from injury, doubtful for Asian wrestling championships in April

The Sports Ministry’s constituted panel to oversee the functioning of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which was temporarily suspended earlier in January, has been sending national teams to compete at the international level.

However, the procedure to select the national team for the Asian Wrestling Championships in April is unclear at the moment. The panel is yet to make an official announcement about the senior team selection for the continental competition.

But it is certain at the moment that India’s 28-year-old freestyle Olympic medalist, Bajrang Punia, will be doubtful for the continental competition as he is yet to fully recover from a wrist injury.

“I am recovering from a wrist injury and feeling better,” Punia told Sportskeeda.

The second half of the 2023 season is important for Indian wrestlers as it features the postponed Asian Games and World Wrestling Championships, which will act as the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualification event.

Punia, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalist, injured his wrist last month and it will take two-three more weeks to fully recover, the wrestling coach familiar with the development said.

“The wrestler (Punia) will visit a medical expert next month for evaluation of the injury. The medical report will reveal how long it will take him to return to mat wrestling,” the coach added.

While Haryana’s star international freestyle wrestler is hopeful of recovering from a wrist injury, the Wrestling expert believes the rehabilitation will take time.

According to the senior coach, the rehab process, including strengthening the wrist takes time.

“A firm grip plays an important role in competitive wrestling,” a senior wrestling coach said.

Punia last competed at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. He won gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle event. Thereafter, he began his preparations for the 2023 season.

Punia, however, skipped the 2022 National Wrestling Championships held in Visakhapatnam. He also pulled out of the season’s first world ranking series held in Croatia in February due to personal reasons.

Earlier in January, Punia was one of the heavyweights in Indian wrestling to raise the voice against the alleged harassment of female players by the coaching staff of the WFI. The unprecedented agitation rocked the WFI, while the players also filed a complaint with the sports ministry. The ministry set up a panel to investigate the allegations leveled by the wrestlers.

The panel was supposed to submit its report to the sports ministry this week but requested for more time to complete the inquiry.

“The sports ministry has extended the term of the oversight committee for wrestling by two weeks for submission of a report pertaining to the complaint filed by a group of wrestlers against the WFI,” the Sports Authority of India said in a statement.