All section Close
Image Credit: Pixabay (Representational)
Many Indian Wrestlers Denied Spain Visa For U23 World Championships: Report
Writer: Apoorva Chakrayat
She is a mass communication undergrad student at Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication.
India, 18 Oct 2022 9:43 AM GMT
Editor : Snehadri Sarkar |
While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
Creatives : Snehadri Sarkar
While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
According to a senior embassy official, the Spanish embassy has doubts over "the purpose and conditions of their intended stay. Top names to miss out on the championship include India's first U-20 wrestling world champ Antim Panghal, world cadet champion Sagar Jaglan and junior worlds silver medallist Bhateri.
The Indian team won't compete in the under 23 World Wrestling Championship, being held in Pontevedra from October 17–23, for the first time in the competition's six-year history, as the Spanish Embassy denied the visa. A senior Embassy official stated in the mail they have doubts over 'the purpose and condition of their intended stay' in North Western Spanish city.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) selected a 45-member Indian contingent, including 30 wrestlers in the men's and women's freestyle and Greco-Roman categories. Some top names, including India's first-ever U-20 world champion in wrestling Antim Panghal, World Cadet Champion Sagar Jaglan, Asian cadet bronze medalist Ritika Hooda and junior world silver medalist Bhateri will miss the championship.
According to WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, their requests for Schengen visas were submitted to the embassy on October 4 in the normal category, and the tickets were reserved in accordance with the departure date of October 16. However, the embassy informed them about cancelling the visa forms because they might overstay in Pontevedra.
Embassy Wanted Them To Apply For 'Premium Lounge Services'
The embassy asked that they apply for a visa using the "Premium Lounge Services," which would have made the entire trip unusually expensive. The WFI has announced that they would never again send wrestling teams to Spain and have written to United World Wrestling (Wrestling's World Governance Body), requesting them not to grant any significant International tournament to the Spain Wrestling Federation. A formal complaint will be made to the UWW on the humiliation the Indian wrestlers were subjected to, reported The Times of India.
Additionally, only nine wrestlers—including Aman Sehrawat, Ankush Panghal, Mansi Ahlawat, and 6 Greco-roman wrestlers—out of 45 wrestlers have travelled to the world's championship without any members of the coaching or support staff. The possibility for the others to win the world championship will be lost.
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
