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Indian wrestlers are struggling for visas to Greece for U17 World Championships starting July 28.
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The problems for Indian wrestling don’t seem to end as a bunch of teenage grapplers are struggling for visas to fly to Greece for the U17 World Championships, with just four days left for the scheduled departure for the tournament, which is set to start on July 28, according to a report in PTI.
The Wrestling Federation of India had sought appointment on July 10, but 12 days have passed and it has yet to hear a positive response from the Greek embassy.
When nothing moved even six days after their request, the federation wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs on July 16, seeking intervention.
The 47-member Indian contingent has 30 wrestlers, who made the national team after coming through selection trials conducted by the federation on July 7 and 8 in Delhi and Lucknow, respectively.
“The Federation had to seek intervention of the MEA and the Home Ministry after its numerous requests didn’t receive a positive response from the Greek embassy,” WFI President Sanjay Singh told PTI.
“The tickets have been booked and the players are ready. The exposure for young athletes is paramount for their growth. They must not miss the World Championship. It’s Tuesday today. Let’s hope we get a response now,” Sanjay added.
The Indian team has multiple Asian Championship gold medallists in the squad, including Rachna Parmar (43kg), Moni (57kg), Ashvini Vaishno (65kg) and Manisha (69kg), and they will be strong medal contenders in Athens.
Even the world governing body, United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic, has shot a missive to the Hellenic Olympic Committee, urging urgent intervention in the matter.
“Unfortunately, some of the qualified and registered teams, including the Iranian and Indian delegations, have encountered difficulties and delays in obtaining their Schengen visas,” Lalovic wrote on Sunday, July 20.
“Despite having followed the application procedures correctly, these teams have not yet received their visas. I would therefore be most grateful for your support in facilitating this process with the relevant authorities, to ensure that all participating athletes and officials can obtain their visas in time,” the letter read.
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