WFI Issues Show-Cause Notice to Aman Sehrawat, Freestyle Coaches Over Weight Lapse

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has issued a show-cause notice to Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat and four freestyle coaches following his disqualification from the World Championships in Zagreb for exceeding the weight limit.

Aman, a strong contender in the men’s 57 kg freestyle category, was 1.7 kg over the permissible limit, leading to his elimination. The WFI has demanded explanations from Aman and coaches Jagmander Singh, Vinod, Virender, and Narender by September 27, expressing concern over repeated weight management failures among Indian wrestlers.

The disqualification marks the second such incident in less than two months, following the suspension of junior wrestler Neha Sangwan for being overweight at the U20 World Championships. A WFI official highlighted the coaches’ failure to monitor Aman’s weight despite being in Zagreb 15 days prior to the event.

“With four coaches for 10 wrestlers, this oversight is unacceptable. We need to understand why this happened,” the official stated. The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of India’s wrestling support system, especially after high expectations for Aman, who secured a bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In response to these lapses, the WFI announced an experimental policy to eliminate the 2 kg weight tolerance typically allowed during selection trials. This change will be implemented at the upcoming U23 World Championship trials in Lucknow on October 4-5, aiming to instil stricter discipline in weight management.

“Some coaches advised that tolerance leads to bad habits, causing issues at international events,” the WFI official noted. The U23 World Championships are scheduled for October 20-26 in Novi Sad, Serbia.

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The WFI’s actions reflect growing concerns about India’s wrestling programme, which has produced Olympic medallists like Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik but faces challenges in maintaining consistency. The federation is under pressure to address systemic issues to ensure athletes are competition-ready. The responses to the show-cause notices will likely influence future training protocols as India prepares for upcoming global events.

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