Indian wrestling team for World Championships on Tuesday

Yogeshwar Dutt

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS)

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) selection committee will conduct trials at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday to pick male grapplers who will represent the country at the World Championships in Las Vegas from September 7 to 14.

However, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar will not take part in the trials due to a shoulder injury and is automatically out of contention for the Worlds.

Apart from him, all others including Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, Olympian Narsingh Pancham Yadav, Commonwealth Games medallists Amit Kumar and Satywart Kadian and Asian Games medallist Mausam Khatri besides Sandeep Tomar and Sandeep Tulsi Yadav will compete in the trials.

Commonwealth Games medallist Bajrang (61 kg) will also not participate due to injury. But on the basis of a request from Bajrang mentioning his inability to attend the trials and considering his past performance, the committee has decided that the finalist of his weight category will only be selected for a competition in Kazakhstan which will be held before the Worlds from July 23 to 26.

The finalist will give a trial with Bajrang to book the berth for Las Vegas and the date of the trial will be intimated later.

The selection committee for the Free Style and Greco Roman teams comprises WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also the chairman of the committee, secretary general V.N. Prasad, vice-president R.K. Hooda, treasurer Bhola Nath Singh, joint secretary Darshan Lal, executive member Jai Prakash, chief coach Kuldeep Singh, foreign experts Vladimer Mestvirishvili and Emzar Makharadze and in-charge coach Mahabir Prasad.

The championships will be the first chance for Indian wrestlers to book berths for the 2016 Rio Olympics.