New Delhi: Under-23 World Wrestling Championship It has always been a happy hunting ground for Indian wrestlers. But this time the country’s top wrestlers will be out of the tournament as the Spanish embassy here denied them visas for the October 17-23 tournament in Pontevedra. A senior embassy official said in the Mail that he doubted the “purpose and conditions of his intended stay” in the northwestern Spanish city.
This is the first time in the six-year history of the competition that the Indian team will not be attending the prestigious meet, which attracts a world-class arena. In the 2021 edition of the tournament in Belgrade, Indian wrestler had won an impressive five medals including Shivani PawarHistoric silver in the women’s 50kg category, to cap the country’s most successful outing in the event since its inaugural edition in 2017.
A 45-member Indian contingent comprising 30 wrestlers in the men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman categories was selected by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the world. Some of the top names include women’s 53kg wrestlers last panghaliIndia’s first Under-20 World Champion in Wrestling, World Cadet Champion Sagar Jaglan (Men’s 74kg), Asian Cadet Bronze Medalist Ritika Hooda (Women’s 72kg) and Junior Worlds Silver Medalist Bhateri (Women’s 65kg) among others.
According to WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod TomarTheir applications for Schengen visas were submitted to the embassy on 4 October in the ‘General’ category and tickets were booked accordingly for their departure on 16 October. However, the embassy informed them about the cancellation of their visa forms – barring nine wrestlers who have already left for the event – as they may stay longer at Pontevedra.
The WFI shared the visa application of Antim, who was denied a visa on frivolous grounds. “The Embassy of Spain in New Delhi has examined your application and the visa has been denied. The decision is based on the following reasons: The information presented regarding the justification of the purpose and the conditions of the intended stay was not reliable. The visas are reasonable. There is doubt about your intention to leave the territory of the Member State before the expiration of the term,” read her application signed by Helena Escorial López, Head of the Consular Section at the Embassy of Spain in India.
Speaking to TOI, Tomar said that the embassy wanted them to apply for visas availing ‘premium lounge services’, which would have made the entire trip “unusually expensive”. “This is nothing but a stricture from the embassy. We will not send our wrestling teams to Spain in the future. We will write to United World Wrestling (the world governing body of wrestling), requesting them not to grant. Spanish Wrestling Federation For any major international tournament. We will file an official complaint with UWW for the embarrassment for the Indian wrestlers,” Tomar said.
“They wanted us to apply through their premium lounge services. But why should we? This is not the first time the Indian team is traveling on a Schengen visa. The U23 Worlds-bound team has many wrestlers with multiple Schengen visas Why weren’t they allowed for the tournament? The embassy doubted the intention of our wrestlers to stay longer and not return from Spain. It’s a joke. If that was the case, they would have been on earlier occasions. But also don’t come back,” he added.
Tomar said that out of the 45-member squad, only nine wrestlers have traveled the world, with none of the coaching or support staff. “Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg), Ankush Panghal (women’s 50kg) and Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 59kg)) and six Greco-Roman wrestlers will take part. The rest will miss a big chance of becoming world champions, he added.
This is the first time in the six-year history of the competition that the Indian team will not be attending the prestigious meet, which attracts a world-class arena. In the 2021 edition of the tournament in Belgrade, Indian wrestler had won an impressive five medals including Shivani PawarHistoric silver in the women’s 50kg category, to cap the country’s most successful outing in the event since its inaugural edition in 2017.
A 45-member Indian contingent comprising 30 wrestlers in the men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman categories was selected by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the world. Some of the top names include women’s 53kg wrestlers last panghaliIndia’s first Under-20 World Champion in Wrestling, World Cadet Champion Sagar Jaglan (Men’s 74kg), Asian Cadet Bronze Medalist Ritika Hooda (Women’s 72kg) and Junior Worlds Silver Medalist Bhateri (Women’s 65kg) among others.
According to WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod TomarTheir applications for Schengen visas were submitted to the embassy on 4 October in the ‘General’ category and tickets were booked accordingly for their departure on 16 October. However, the embassy informed them about the cancellation of their visa forms – barring nine wrestlers who have already left for the event – as they may stay longer at Pontevedra.
The WFI shared the visa application of Antim, who was denied a visa on frivolous grounds. “The Embassy of Spain in New Delhi has examined your application and the visa has been denied. The decision is based on the following reasons: The information presented regarding the justification of the purpose and the conditions of the intended stay was not reliable. The visas are reasonable. There is doubt about your intention to leave the territory of the Member State before the expiration of the term,” read her application signed by Helena Escorial López, Head of the Consular Section at the Embassy of Spain in India.
Speaking to TOI, Tomar said that the embassy wanted them to apply for visas availing ‘premium lounge services’, which would have made the entire trip “unusually expensive”. “This is nothing but a stricture from the embassy. We will not send our wrestling teams to Spain in the future. We will write to United World Wrestling (the world governing body of wrestling), requesting them not to grant. Spanish Wrestling Federation For any major international tournament. We will file an official complaint with UWW for the embarrassment for the Indian wrestlers,” Tomar said.
“They wanted us to apply through their premium lounge services. But why should we? This is not the first time the Indian team is traveling on a Schengen visa. The U23 Worlds-bound team has many wrestlers with multiple Schengen visas Why weren’t they allowed for the tournament? The embassy doubted the intention of our wrestlers to stay longer and not return from Spain. It’s a joke. If that was the case, they would have been on earlier occasions. But also don’t come back,” he added.
Tomar said that out of the 45-member squad, only nine wrestlers have traveled the world, with none of the coaching or support staff. “Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg), Ankush Panghal (women’s 50kg) and Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 59kg)) and six Greco-Roman wrestlers will take part. The rest will miss a big chance of becoming world champions, he added.