Indian Wrestlers Miss Out on Gold Medals Due to Visa Issues, Criticizes WFI President
Indian wrestling faces setbacks as nine athletes are denied U.S. visas, leading to missed opportunities for gold at the Under-23 World Championship.
New Delhi, October 14 (Daily Kiran) : The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President, Sanjay Singh, has voiced strong criticism against the U.S. Embassy after nine Indian wrestlers were denied visas for the Under-23 World Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas. The athletes, competing in Greco-Roman and women’s categories, were turned away due to their age—under 20—and the lack of full-time employment.
In an interview, Singh stated that this was the first time such a situation has occurred in the tournament’s history and attributed the blame entirely to the U.S. Embassy. He emphasized that India missed out on potential gold medals, as at least two of the wrestlers were strong contenders.
“The U.S. Embassy rejected the visas of nine Indian wrestlers on the grounds that they are unemployed. This has never happened before,” Singh remarked. He mentioned that even the President of United World Wrestling (UWW) had written to address this issue. The denial of visas has caused significant setbacks for India, as it could have won gold medals.
While the men’s freestyle team, consisting of ten members, received approval to compete, the Greco-Roman and women’s teams faced visa complications. As a result, the nine wrestlers were unable to participate in their respective events.
The Under-23 World Wrestling Championship began with Greco-Roman matches from October 12 to 14, followed by women’s competitions from October 14 to 16. The tournament will conclude with men’s freestyle events from October 16 to 18.
Amidst these challenges, Singh highlighted that Greco-Roman wrestler Vishwajeet More is set to compete for a gold medal. More is the only Indian wrestler to have won two medals at the Under-23 World Championship and has made history as the first Indian Greco-Roman finalist at this event.
Having previously won bronze medals at the Under-23 level, More has made a strong start by winning three challenging matches. He kicked off his campaign with a 10-8 victory over Mexico’s Isak Marin Mata. More then faced Under-20 World Champion Armin Shamsipour, who appeared to struggle with an injury. Capitalizing on this, More executed a stunning four-point throw, winning the match 8-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. His aggressive style throughout the match left his opponent with little opportunity to recover.
After a lengthy review, More secured his spot in the final of the 55-kilogram category by defeating Malik Gigiev of Russia 7-4. To become the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman at the Under-23 World Championship, More must overcome Georgia’s Koba Karumidze, who also had a thrilling semifinal against Kyrgyzstan’s Barsbek Asankozhoev.
