IOA President PT Usha Criticizes WFI Ad-Hoc Panel for Excluding Wrestler Antim Panghal’s Coaches from Paris Olympics Schedule

IOA president PT Usha on Wednesday slammed the ad hoc panel running the suspended WFI, saying the committee failed to conduct due diligence and failed to include the names of wrestler Antim Panghal’s coaches on a long list sent to Paris Olympic organisers.

The Indian Olympic Federation’s response came after the delay in visa applications for Panghal’s favoured coaches for the Gamesa.

The 19-year-old Panghal, who trains in Hisar, became the first Indian wrestler to qualify for the Paris Games when she won bronze at the 2023 world championships.

She wants her coaches Bhagat Singh and Vikas to travel with her, along with physiotherapist Heera. The IOA has cleared all names, but the support staff members attached to Panghal are still waiting for their visas to be approved.

“India already secured an Olympic quota for Antim in September 2023 by claiming a bronze medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade. In its wisdom, the Ad Hoc Committee, which manages wrestling, chose not to include the names of Antim’s coach or physiotherapist in the long list of names sent to the Olympic Organising Committee,” Usha said in a statement.

The wrestlers are scheduled to arrive in Paris on August 3 and the support staff have an appointment for biometric testing on August 2.

In December 2023, the IOA appointed its EC member Bhupendra Singh Bajwa as the head of the ad hoc panel and appointed MM Somaya and Manjusha Kanwar as the other members.

The IOA chairman also indirectly criticised SAI for not being vigilant enough.

“It is strange that the responsible authorities, who approved the long list of athletes, coaches and support staff, did not see fit to recommend the inclusion of Bhagat Singh or Heera or Vikas.

“It was only after Antim’s father came to IOA a few days ago that I intervened to have them approved by the ministry,” Usha said.

Meanwhile, a source in the IOA told PTI that instead of going to VFS (Visa Facilitation Services), Panghal should have approached the IOA for intervention.

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“If they had come to us, we would have asked the French embassy for help and it would have been easy, because the embassy is very helpful. We would have intervened and looked for a solution, but I think they were misled by someone,” the official said.

The IOA chief thanked the French embassy for its support.

“Many athletes will confirm that IOA has been proactive in obtaining accreditations or visas for their coaches and support staff from the French Embassy in India.

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“The embassy in Delhi and its consulates elsewhere have been providing utmost support in processing visa applications not only of such staff but also of journalists who do not have accreditation,” she said.

“We are confident that despite such misleading messages, IOA will enable expeditious processing of visa applications of coaches and support staff approved by the ministry,” Usha said.

“If they had come to us, we would have asked the French embassy for help and it would have been easy, because the embassy is very helpful. We would have intervened and looked for a solution, but I think they were misled by someone,” the official said.

The IOA chief thanked the French embassy for its support.

“Many athletes will confirm that IOA has been proactive in obtaining accreditations or visas for their coaches and support staff from the French Embassy in India.

“The embassy in Delhi and its consulates elsewhere have been providing utmost support in processing visa applications not only of such staff but also of journalists who do not have accreditation,” she said.

“We are confident that despite such misleading messages, IOA will enable expeditious processing of visa applications of coaches and support staff approved by the ministry,” Usha said.