Top 10 big stories from world of wrestling this week

The world of wrestling this week was filled with some action-packed decision from United World Wrestling as well as Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). But in case you missed any, WrestlingTV has brought a weekly roundup of all the big happenings.

1) WFI in partnership with SAI launch e-pathshala for youngsters

WFI has launched e-Pathshala in association with National Sports Federations (NSF) under SAI’s Khelo India scheme. The aim is to provide national-level open online coaching and education programme for grassroot-level wrestlers. Apart from wrestling, the programme also covers 20 sporting disciplines. They are athletics, archery, boxing, cycling, fencing, football, gymnastics, hockey, judo, kayaking & canoeing, kabaddi, para games, rowing, shooting, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, and wushu.

2) Vinesh Phogat nominated for Khel Ratna Award 2020

India’s golden girl Vinesh Phogat has been nominated by WFI for India’s highest sporting honour the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the second time in a row. The 25-year-old currently holds the third spot in the world rankings in the 53kg category. She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in her first attempt by winning bronze at the 2019 Wrestling World Championships. She then started 2020 with a gold at the Rome Ranking Series and later won bronze at the 2020 Asian Championships in New Delhi. It was her second consecutive bronze in the competition having won the same in Xi’an last year.

3) Sakshi Malik, Deepak Punia and Rahul Aware nominated for Arjun award 2020

Sakshi Malik, Deepak Punia and Rahul are WFI’s official recommendation for the Arjun award this year. While Deepak and Rahul are currently the world medallist, Sakshi is currently the Asian medallist and only Indian woman wrestler to win bronze at the Olympics.

4) Tokyo Olympics: Organising committee staff returns to office with 50% strength

The end of Japan’s state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic marks a new beginning on the road to the Tokyo Olympics next summer. After two months of working from home, Tokyo 2020 staff began returning to the office this week. “Precautions are in order but it feels good to be back,” Tokyo 2020 International Communications Senior Manager Tristan Lavier said on Twitter. He added that the “new normal” means that the open space in the office can’t exceed 50 per cent capacity, so for now employees are coming in on a rotational basis. Masks, handwashing and social distancing remain an integral part of the plan.

5) IOA chief Narinder Batra raises questions of wrestling’s future

Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra said the governing body hopes to see national events kickstart from October provided the COVID-19 situation “does not go bad” in the country. Batra also said the easing of restrictions for contact sports like boxing and wrestling seems unlikely until a vaccine is developed.

6) Sakshi Malik gets helping hand from Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt to solve Sonam puzzle

Sakshi Malik and Sonam have clashed twice in the course of one month. And on both occasions, the 18-year-old wrestler has got the better of the Olympic medallist. But now, she has got a big helping hand from none other than 2012 London medallist Yogeshwar Dutt. He says, “As a wrestler, you should always wear your strength up your sleeves. The strategy should be the one which can be executed for the entire six minutes. In between it, look for openings and make sure to capitalise whenever possible. Therefore, if a wrestler attacks, instead of getting defensive, try to look for counter-attacks.

7) Tokyo Olympics: Host Japan set to lose billions if Olympics ‘downsized and simplified’

Next year’s Olympics will be “downsized”, “simplified”, or “very different”. Tokyo CEO Toshiro Muto has been open about slashing costs and “reducing service levels” The Japanese public is being prepared for the reality of next year’s postponed Olympics, where athletes are likely to face quarantines, less attendance in the stadiums & far lesser will be the tourists in Japan to be part of the Olympic jamboree. The reduction on all of these accounts will cost Japan billions of dollars in potential revenues.

8) UWW Europe President passes away due to cancer

Tseno Tsenov, President of the European Wrestling Federation (UWW-EU) died at the age of 80 after losing battle to cancer. He has played a vital role in the resurgence of wrestling especially in 2013 when the sport remained in the program of the Olympics.

9) Bajrang Punia opines lockdown has given wrestlers time to introspect

Ace wrestler Bajrang Punia says that this lockdown due outbreak of coronavirus has given wrestler time to introspect and work on his weaknesses. “This lockdown has made us learn a lot about ourselves. Before coronavirus broke out, we trained or competed most of the time. Due to this we never got time to introspect ourselves. But now, since there are no competitions we have got time to analyse our techniques and sharpen them. Jitender and I watch our previous matches and accordingly work on our weaknesses,” adding that all this will only help them in getting them better.

10) Husband Somvir says wife Vinesh Phogat was ‘heartbroken’ with Tokyo postponement

Vinesh Phogat for four years went to bed after gruelling training sessions with just one dream every time — to climb the top of the podium at Olympics and hear the national anthem reverberating the stadium. But all the hard work and plans went down the drain when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deferred the Tokyo Games due to COVID-19 outbreak. Her husband Somvir Rathi says she was left heartbroken after she got the news. “Yes, she was heartbroken. All her plannings for the Olympics, everything got wasted. She had to start from scratch. But she knew exactly what she wanted”.