Posts

Japan, Iran teams resumes training for Olympic qualifiers in midst of Coronavirus concernsIn an Olympic year, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has handicapped the wrestling world. Countries have decided to cancel international and national events as well as have pulled out of tournaments as a step of precaution. However, with the Olympic qualifiers and the Tokyo Games approaching, countries have decided to get back on their legs and train. The two most affected countries outside China, Japan and Iran have decided to resume their national training camps but with few restrictions to reduce the Coronavirus risk for athletes and coaches. While Iran had cancelled its national training camp last week, Japan had called off two domestic tournaments. But training plays an important role in an Olympic year and therefore, the wrestling federation of the two countries will hold national camps behind closed doors. Japan’s Greco-Roman team will start their training camp at Nihon University. In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Japan Wrestling Federation has decided to conduct the training camp with minimal staff. Only the officials, coaches and wrestlers would be allowed inside the training area to reduce the risk of getting infected by the virus. “It is important to train and be in shape to compete. It is a good feeling when you are ready,” Japan’s team coach Masatoshi Toyoda told his wrestling federation’s official platform. The Japanese national training camp will be held until March 10.

Image
In an Olympic year,  the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has handicapped the wrestling world. Countries have decided to cancel international and national events as well as have pulled out of tournaments as a step of precaution.  However, with the Olympic qualifiers and the Tokyo Games approaching, countries have decided to get back on their legs  and train. The two most affected countries outside China, Japan and Iran have decided to resume their national training camps but with few restrictions to reduce the Coronavirus risk for athletes and coaches. While Iran had cancelled its national training camp last week, Japan had called off two domestic tournaments. But training plays an important role in an Olympic year and therefore, the wrestling federation of the two countries will hold national camps behind closed doors. Japan’s Greco-Roman team will start their training camp at Nihon University. In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, the Japa...

Sunil reveals the man behind his Asian Wrestling Championships success

Image
In the Indian wrestling sphere dominated by and hailed for freestyle and women’s disciplines, Greco-Roman has carved its own place over a span of six days of the Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi last week. The fact that the Greco-Roman wrestlers added five medals, including Sunil Kumar’s gold, to India’s tally of 20 establishes that the Greco-Romans have emerged in India from the shadow of the much-fancied freestyle and women’s wrestling.                    The Olympic discipline has risen in style. The nation has got reasons to follow Greco-Roman wrestling. The emergence of icons will start driving the gen-next of Indian wrestling also towards Greco-Roman. India, the 2020 Asian Championships hosts, had bettered the 2019 performance, winning five medals including one gold by Sunil Kumar.  Sunil’s first-place finish was special in more than one ways. The Haryana born wrestler with the gold also end...

Indian wrestlers extremely disappointed with the postponement of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers

Image
The Indian wrestlers are shocked with the deferment of the  Asian Olympic Qualifiers  due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.  A 14-member Indian contingent was scheduled to fly to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on March 24 to participate in the qualification tournament for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The qualifiers were scheduled from March 27 to 29.                                             The host governing body has decided to postpone the qualifiers as a step of precaution. The news has taken the Indian grapplers completely off-guard. Asian Championships Greco-Roman 87kg gold medallist was disappointed by the decision as he believed  Asian qualifiers   gave a better chance to the Indian grapplers to qualify for Olympics. “ Asian Qualifiers  were easy for us. The World Olympic Qualifiers will be tougher as there will be more wrestlers bi...

Full Result of Trials for Asian Olympic Qualifiers: Sakshi’s Olympic dreams ends; Sonam marches to Indian team

Image
The trials for 62kg and 76kg women’s wrestling are being conducted today at SAI Centre, Lucknow for India’s entry in the next month’s  Asian Olympic Qualifiers .  Sakshi , Sarita, Mansi and Sonam entered the semi-finals.  Pooja Dhanda and Navjot Kaur saw an early exit from the trials after loosing to Sarita and Mansi respectively.                                                          FULL RESULTS of the Trials: Women’s 62kg:  Qualifications: Mansi in semi-finals after beating Anita 6-0 in the quarter-finals. She will now face  Sakshi  in the semi-finals. Quarter-finals: Sarita Mor beat Pooja Dhanda by 3-2 in quarter-finals. Sonam beat Radhika by 5-1 in quarter-finals. She now enters semi-finals and will play Sarita. Navjot Kaur is out of the race after losing to Mansi 4-2. Sakshi beats Seema 8-2...

Sushil Kumar extends help to boxing legend to fight against cancer

Image
Two-time Olympic medallist  Sushil Kumar  has extended a helping hand to boxing legend Dingko Singh in his fight against liver cancer. Kumar along with several other individuals have come forward to help the former boxer financially.  Dingko is suffering from lung cancer for which he had first been successfully treated three years ago. The 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold medallist Dingko has been undergoing test at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi since January 28 and is struggling to raise funds for his treatment.                                                       Dingko’s financial woes and his struggle to raise funds for his cancer treatment moved double Olympic medallist  Sushil  so much that he decided to support the legendary boxing champ. Not only  Sushil  but Sports mi...

Asian Wrestling Championships: Turkmenistan second team to opt out

Image
Turkmenistan have become the second team to withdraw from the  Asian Wrestling Championship , New Delhi Wrestling Federation of India assistant secretary Vinod Tomar has confirmed the development. The WFI has received an email from the Turkmenistan authority regarding the pull-out. “Turkmenistan has withdrawn from the Asian meet,” Tomar said, adding, “The team will not participate in the Senior Asian Championships as their Government is not allowing the players to travel due to the Coronavirus threat.” There is no certainty over any replacement, if at all, for Turkmenistan. Earlier, North Korea had pulled out of the Championship, also for the Coronavirus epidemic reason WrestlingTV was the first to report that the Korean squad will not be participating in the championships to be held in New Delhi from February 18 to 23. Myrat Hojanepesov, Mekan Orazov, Kerim Hojakov, Batyr Borjakov, Gurbanmyrat Ovezberdiyev, Dovletmyrat Orazgylyjov, Rahmangeldi Vepayev, Zyyam...

Ritu Phogat says she’s focussed on becoming mixed martial arts champion

Image
Wrestler-turned-Mixed Martial Arts fighter  Ritu Phogat  on Wednesday said she might return to wrestling in future but currently she’s focussed on putting in the hard yards to achieve her dream of becoming India’s first MMA world champion. Ritu, who had bagged the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships gold and silver at the 2017 World Under-23 Championships, won her debut MMA fight at the One:  Age of Dragons event, beating South Korea’s Nam Hee Kim in under three minutes.                 The 25-year-old from Haryana, daughter of the legendary wrestling coach Mahavir Singh Phogat, will next feature in her second MMA bout on February 28 in Singapore. “I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m willing to continue to put the work in until I reach my ultimate goal.  My dream is to give India its first ever mixed martial arts world champion,” she said ahead of her face-off with China’s Pro MMA fighter Wu Chiao C...