New Delhi: There are detrimental effects when a player pays more attention to non-gaming matters than the game itself. On Sunday, March 10, wrestler Bajrang Punia's withdrawal from the Paris Olympic qualification competition served as an illustration of this. Punia has been involved in everything but wrestling for the past three months. Star wrestler Brij Bhushan Sharan Sharma, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), accused wrestlers of sexual harassment. Last year, the WFI faced criticism from the public for the accusations made against Sharma.
As previously reported, Punia lost badly to Rohit Kumar in the men's freestyle 65kg semi-final, falling 1-9. Punia had just about survived elimination in the first round of competition. In their first encounter, he prevailed 3–3 on the criteria after Ravinder gave up a caution point.
Notably, the IOA Ad-hoc Panel is in charge of the ongoing selection trials. The chance to compete in the Asian and World Olympic Qualifiers will be awarded to the winners of the current selection trials. Through Antim Panghal (women's 53kg), India has only earned one quota for the Paris Games thus far.
Bajrang Punia's deteriorating performance, from requesting an exemption from trials to losing by a lopsided scoreline of 1–9;
It is significant that Punia has been spending his own money on training in Russia for the past few months. However, given that he has been mostly facing opposition rather than practicing, his crushing defeat against Kumar indicates that the wrestler has not been able to rebuild fitness. Punia hurriedly departed the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center, furious with his dismissal. Officials from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) also attempted to obtain samples for doping tests, but the wrestlers failed to even place in the third or fourth positions.
It is notable because Sujit Kalakal defeated wrestler Rohit Kumar in the championship match after Kumar defeated Bajrang Punia. It's interesting to note that Kalakal contested in court last year the decision to give Punia direct entry for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou without a hearing. He did not win the lawsuit, nevertheless. The Delhi High Court denied the suit filed by prominent wrestlers Ananthi Panghal and Sujit Kalakal in July of last year. The petition contested the wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia's exemption, which permitted their direct entry into the Asian Games. Wrestlers Vishal Kaliraman and Anand Panghal stated in an interview from the previous year that although she was putting in a lot of effort and training, other wrestlers, like Vinesh Phogat, were busy demonstrating and challenging Punia's and Phogat's admittance to the Asian Games without a trial. were.
The ad hoc committee's unanimous conclusion, according to Justice Subramaniam Prasad, was not irrational or perverse. It is not random to label both athletes as "elite athletes," given that they are ranked in the top ten wrestlers in the world. A few months later, Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia was beaten by Iranian Rahman Amouzadkhalili by a commanding 8-1 score in the Asian Games semifinals, casting doubt on Punia's readiness for the big competition.
Technical superiority proved to be the difference as Japan's Kaiki Yamaguchi defeated India's Bajrang Punia 10–0 in the bronze medal match at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in October 2023. The Indian wrestler's 10–0 loss crushed India's hopes of winning a bronze medal at the Asian Games, even though he was permitted to compete without having to go through auditions. The Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) ad hoc committee waived Punia and Phogat's qualifying trials for the women's 53 kg and men's 65 kg freestyle events. Athletes both past and present, as well as coaches, fiercely opposed this decision.
While it is common for wrestlers to be accused of requesting a waiver from trials in order to avoid losing major championships, Punia's lackluster performance supported the criticism that he was looking for leniency because he was afraid of losing the qualifications. The reason the wrestler refused to participate in trials against other wrestlers interested in politics and protests was made clear by his claimed outbursts, which included halting for a drug test and refusing to play in the battle for third place. rather than consistently practicing.
Bajrang Punia was a part of the wrestling group that staged demonstrations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the WFI chief at the time. As the head of the Indian Wrestling Federation, he visited Jantar Mantar in April 2023 and sought an investigation into claims that Bharatiya Janata Party MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had harassed women wrestlers sexually. Subsequently, Singh was the subject of two FIRs from the Delhi Police.
Despite the wrestlers' insistence that their protest was unrelated to politics, it was seen that a number of prominent members of the Congress party, such as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, and former chief minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda, sent them assurances of their unwavering support. Brij Bhushan Singh stated in May of last year that Bajrang Punia and Deepender Hooda were hatching a "conspiracy" against him. Aside from this, during the wrestlers' protests last year, other disparaging chants were yelled. It is stated that during the demonstration, anti-Indian slogans like "Modi will dig your grave" and "Azadi" were yelled.
It's important to remember that demonstrators have yelled similar offensive phrases at numerous prior demonstrations. Azadi shouts are frequently heard at anti-CAA demonstrations, farmers' protests, Shaheen Bagh protests, and other JNU events. In fact, this cry originated with Kashmiri militants. Hundreds of junior wrestlers gathered at Jantar Mantar on January 3rd this year to voice their discontent at losing a pivotal year in their careers, despite accusations that the protesting wrestlers were continuously seeking exemption from trials.
The junior wrestlers accused rebellious Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia of squandering a year of their lives, which sparked the demonstrations. The wrestlers demonstrating against Malik, Phogat, and Punia chanted anti-Punia slogans, as we previously reported. Junior wrestlers such as Akhil Panghal have repeatedly stated that selection trials, not trial exemptions for certain wrestlers, should determine which Indian wrestlers represent their country at world championships, including the Olympics.
The fact that Bajrang Punia lost the trials indicates that the wrestler should put more emphasis on his training than on protests and politics. Moreover, he needs to improve his playing mindset in light of his recent performances. Punia was fortunate not to have immunity and instead had to appear at the trial; otherwise, he risked repeating his devastating loss in the World Olympic Qualifiers.
