Sports Authority Of India Wants Bajrang Punia To Attend World Wrestling Championships Trials Or Give Fitness Certificate

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) wants Olympic-medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia to attend the trials for the World championships or provide fitness certificate if he wants exemption from this week's exercise in Patiala. Punia is planning to skip the trials for the World Championships on August 25 and 26 and instead wants to train at a foreign location to prepare for the Asian Games in Hangzhou beginning September 23. Bajrang, one of six wrestlers to sit in protest at the Jantar Mantar against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and Commonwealth Games gold-medal winner Deepak Punia (86khg) are not keen to compete in the World Championships in Belgrade from September 16, and instead want to undergo long training stints to prepare of the Asian Games.

While Bajrang has sent a proposal to train in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan (August 21-September 28), Deepak, on the other hand, wants to train in Khasavyurt (Russia) for five weeks (August 23 to September 28) to prepare for the Asian Games.

"Yes, we have asked Bajrang why he is skipping the Worlds trials. He said he wants to prepare for Asian Games and train abroad till then. But we asked him to appear for the trials on August 25 and 26 and leave for training camp abroad on August 27," a SAI official told PTI on condition of anonymity on Monday.

The World Championships is the first qualification tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and SAI is unhappy that two of the country's top wrestlers want to skip the trials and the showpiece event.

While Bajrang, the 65kg grappler, who won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze, has also demanded physiotherapist Anuj Gupta, personal coach Sujeet Maan, strength and conditioning expert Kaazi Kiron Mustafa Hasan and sparring partner