Age-group wrestling nationals rescheduled for February 28 to March 5 in Patiala

The Under-15 and Under-20 National Championships, scheduled to be held in Gwalior next week, will now take place in Patiala from February 28, the wrestling ad-hoc committee announced on Thursday.

The ad-hoc committee, which is in charge of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), postponed the age-group nationals after some state associations expressed their inability to participate in the tournament at such a short notice.

The 2023 U20 and U15 freestyle, Greco Roman style and women’s National Wrestling Championship was scheduled to be held at the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior, from February 11 to 17.

“The U20 & U15 Free Style, Greco Roman Style and Women Wrestling National Championship has now been rescheduled to be held at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala, Punjab, from February 28 to March 5,” Bhupender Singh Bajwa, chairman of the ad-hoc committee said.

“This was necessitated based on the request of the State Association in order to give more time to them to prepare for the championships so that the selection and other processes are completed with due attention and care.

“The request for rescheduling was accepted by the Ad-hoc Committee in order to ensure that all the promising players and future medal prospects get the opportunity to participate in the championship event.” He further stated that around 1200 to 1400 athletes from 18 to 20 states will participate in the championships. The ad-hoc committee had conducted the Senior National Wrestling Championship in Jaipur last week.