Sukhbir bats for wrestling

Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday urged the union government to mount pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for permanently keeping wrestling, a traditional sport of India, in the Olympics.

Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday urged the union government to mount pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for permanently keeping wrestling, a traditional sport of India, in the Olympics.

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Sukhbir, who also holds the portfolio of state sports minister, said though the IOC had not remove wrestling from the shortlisted disciplines for the final list, the union ministry of sports should initiate efforts and register their timely intervention for saving the future of India's wrestlers.

Asking the Centre to seek cooperation of other nations as well for convincing the IOC in this regard, Sukhbir stated that after hockey, wrestling was the sport that had brought laurels for the nation through four Olympic medals.

He said the Punjab government would also appeal to the World Wrestling Federation to keep wrestling in the list of disciplines for the 2020 Olympics.