Published 16:53 IST, September 20th 2019
WFI writes to UWW following Bajrang Punia's defeat, asks for review
On Thursday, the WFI on Thursday wrote to United World Wrestling (UWW) following the defeat of Bajrang Punia in a World Wrestling Championships semi-final clash
On Thursday, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday wrote to United World Wrestling (UWW) following the defeat of Bajrang Punia in a World Wrestling Championships semi-final clash against Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov. According to a WFI source, the organization had sent a request to review the bout. The Chairman of the Officiation Commission admitted that certain decisions in the game were incorrect. Furthermore, he assured that the Indian bouts would be handled with special care in the future.
Unlucky Punia
Punia is currently the World Number one wrestler. He ensured a Tokyo 2020 Olympics berth after an impressive 8-1 win over North Korea's Jong Son in a quarter-final march in the championships in Kazakhastan on Thursday. In the process, he also entered the semi-final of the tournament in the 65 kg category. Both Punia and the local wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov were locked at 9-9 at the end of the bout. However, the latter was declared as the winner on the basis of the tie-breaker rule. Punia was seen pleading with the mat chairman to take appropriate action against Niyazbekov for several fouls including hitting on the face, pulling costume and delaying tactics.
Star wrestlers back India
The 2012 Olympics bronze medal winner Yogeshwar Dutt heavily criticised the outcome of the game. Writing on microblogging website Twitter, he opined that any person could differentiate between right and wrong after watching the semi-final between Bajrang and Niyazbekov. He then questioned the inability of the umpire to make the right call. Describing it as carelessness in a big tournament, he alleged that Kazakhstan was not playing according to the rulebook.
Similarly, ace wrestler Ben Askren backed Dutt's claims.
(With ANI inputs)
Updated 17:41 IST, September 20th 2019