Several junior wrestlers, along with their parents and coaches, gathered at the IOA headquarters demanding the withdrawal of the exemption granted to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia from the Asian Games trials. This protest comes after a similar demonstration in Haryana's Hisar.
Approximately 150 people, including family members of the wrestlers, were seeking a meeting with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President P T Usha and ad-hoc panel chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa to address their concerns.
Coach Vikas Bhardwaj, representing promising wrestler Antim Panghal, emphasized their request for the IOA panel to revoke the exemption given to Bajrang and Vinesh, stating that they will not accept any biased decisions.
U-20 world champion Panghal and U-23 Asian champion Sujeet Kalkal had criticized the ad-hoc committee's decision as unjust and unfair, expressing confidence that they can defeat Bajrang and Vinesh if given the chance in the trials. They have also filed a petition at the Delhi High Court to challenge the exemption, hearing for which will happen on Friday.
Support for the junior grapplers' demand for trials has also come from World Championships and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Anshu Malik, who tweeted in favor of their cause, emphasising their right to compete for medals in events like the Olympics and Asian Games.