demonstrator wrestlers has asian games Started practicing with many of my colleagues to prepare for the trials, due to which the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center at Sonipat has become buzzing again these days. Vinesh Phogat, the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief and one of the key faces of the protests against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, had visited the center for practice on June 9, while her cousin Geeta Phogat had also visited the center to practice for the trials. Landed on the mat.
Geeta Phogat also started practicing
Geeta took maternity leave after the National Championship in Gonda in November 2021 and is now making a comeback to competitive wrestling. She is accompanied by her husband Pawan Saroha, who is also a wrestler himself. Geeta’s younger sister Sangeeta is also at the center along with her husband and Tokyo Games bronze medalist Bajrang Punia.
Wrestlers had not landed on the mat for a long time
Women wrestlers usually assemble for the national camp at the SAI center in Lucknow, but in the wake of protests against Brij Bhushan, it was shifted out of the Uttar Pradesh capital. A SAI source said, “The protesting wrestlers have been away from the mat for a long time. Currently, these wrestlers are spending most of their time in the gym. Sangeeta is also working on ‘strength building’. This officer said, ‘Vinesh had come to this campus only on June 9. Geeta is also coming regularly. It seems that normalcy is returning to the campus.
Trial requested in August
Bajrang and his partner Jitendra Kinha have already started training at SAI’s Bahalgarh centre, where national camps for men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers are held throughout the year. The wrestlers approached the Sports Ministry on Friday and requested to hold the Asian Games trials in August, citing the need to achieve physical fitness. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has sought a list of players by June 30 from all sports federations. The IOA will have to send the names of all the participating Indian players to the OCA by July 15, as per the earlier deadline. The IOA, however, has approached the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) seeking time till August 10 in the matter of wrestling.
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