Vinesh Phogat Shares Letter Seeking Additional Time For Asian Games Trials, Not Exemption

Vinesh posted a picture of the letter with no date on social media on Sunday, mentioning six wrestlers requesting extra time for training ahead of the trials.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat made public on Sunday a letter that some of the protesting wrestlers had written to the sports ministry, requesting that the dates for trials for the Asian Games and the World Championships later this year be extended. Vinesh posted a picture of the letter with no date on social media on Sunday, mentioning six wrestlers requesting extra time for training ahead of the trials.

Since the beginning of the year, wrestlers have been protesting against the outgoing president of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, over allegations of sexual harassment.

Along with sharing the letter, Vinesh wrote on her Twitter page, "The protesting wrestlers had only requested to postpone the date of the trials, because we did not get enough time for practise due to our participation in the protests for the last six months."

"We understand that this is a serious matter, which is why we are sharing this letter with you. The enemy is trying to break the unity among the wrestlers, we cannot let them have success," Vinesh tweeted in Hindi.

The Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) ad hoc panel had previously exempted the protesting wrestlers from participating in the trials, which was heavily criticised by coaches and parents of the other wrestlers, including Yogeshwar Dutt.

The ad hoc panel also asked the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to extend the deadline for entry submissions from July 15 to August 15.

"It is requested to you that due to their participation in the wrestlers' protest, the below-mentioned wrestlers require some additional time to prepare for the trials for the Asian Games and the World Championships," the undated letter to sports minister Anurag Thakur reads. 

Protesting wrestlers Bajrang Punia (65kg), Sakshi Malik (62kg), her husband Satyawart Kadian (97kg), Sangeeta Phogat (57kg), Jitender Kumar (86kg), and Vinesh (53kg) requested time to train for the trials.

"Hence it is a request to you that trials for these wrestlers be held after August 10, 2023," the letter, signed by all six wrestlers mentioned, continued.