Wrestling: When last year the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) held the first mud wrestling competition, it had opened new doors for wrestlers. Dangal in India is where wrestlers are made, and a competition like this was a step in promoting the sport to other parts of India. Cut forward July, as the athletes wait for the resumption of competitions, I.D. Nanavati, Gujarat wrestling federation president is making a road map for when things normalise. “We are planning to host Gujarat’s first traditional wrestling championships. It will be good, as it will give good exposure to wrestlers and also help us scout potential athletes”.
Here is an excerpt of the interview:
WrestlingTV: Tell us about yourself.
Nanavati: I was never a wrestler. During my study days, I was a swimmer and had won medals at university and school levels. But I had the love for sports in general and therefore got into the administrative side of it.
I am the founder of Gujarat wrestling federation. It was established in 1977, initially, I would just oversee the working of the federation but in 1993 I took charge as the president of the state federation. Since then, I have been working hard to promote wrestling in the state, and in the past two years, we have got results at the national championships.
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WrestlingTV: In a state like Gujarat where sports, in general, is not very popular, how are you promoting a sport like wrestling?
Nanavati: Yes, it true that sports is not the first love for Gujaratis. They have a business mind and usually go into businesses. Sportsperson from Gujarat comes from the backward areas. But slowly it has started to change. We hold clinics to make young minds and legs aware of the sport and the bright future they can make out of it. It is still too early to see results of the efforts we are making but I think we will soon have Gujaratis making a name out of themselves in wrestling as well.
WrestlingTV: What are your plans once things normalise and sports resume?
Nanavati: We are still in discussions on how to go about it. We are waiting for WFI to release their national competition schedules and then will make plans for state championships. But we are certain that we will be holding Gujarat’s first traditional wrestling championships by the end of this year if all goes well.
