Being wrestled to the ground

Other top wrestling nations have their Olympic plans in top gear, but India is just about hoping to restart. That is far from ideal.

Since London 2008, India has won a total of six medals in wrestling at the Olympics — the most in any sport in this period. The medals were a result of identifying the right talent, ensuring the right training, and building an assembly line of wrestlers that could hold their own at the international level. Sure, it was largely down to the athletes taking the lead, instead of the establishment — but the results were coming. The positive momentum around the sport was palpable at every national meet, in the sheer numbers that would turn up. It was something to cherish, improve upon, and build on.

Women wrestlers at a Sonepat wrestling academy. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

The thing about momentum is that there is only so much to go around. So, when there is a loss of momentum, it is hard to recover — and currently, it is clear that Indian wrestling is in the midst of a slowdown. Two of the country’s best wrestlers (Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia) are out in the cold because they have been protesting against the system; others such as Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia have just recovered from injuries. The national camps, vital for the younger wrestlers to level up, haven’t been held for more than a year.

So, going into an Olympic year, the question is whether India has somehow managed to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. The impasse between protesting wrestlers and the Brij Bhushan faction, which recently won an election to stay in control of the sport, shows no sign of ending. While the Union sports ministry has suspended the newly elected body for violating sports code guidelines, there’s no indication of what the endgame could be. Other top wrestling nations have their Olympic plans in top gear, but India is just about hoping to restart. That is far from ideal.