Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat Return to India After Overseas Training Camps

Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are reportedly keeping a close watch on the WFI elections, scheduled for 12 August.

Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat have returned to India after completing their training camps 

(Photo: PTI/The Quint)

Olympic medallist wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat have returned to India having completed their respective training camps in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul and Budapest.

Bajrang though is believed to have returned a little earlier, as he was expected back on 5-6 August.

The two wrestlers will now return to competitive action over the next few weeks, with the impending trials of the World Championships, which will also be a qualification event for the 2024 Olympics.

Vinesh and Bajrang got an exemption from appearing in the trials for the Asian Games, but will be made to compete for their spot at the World Championships that get underway on 16 September. The date for the trails though has not been announced by the ad-hoc committee currently running the wrestling federation, though the final day to submit the entries in 15 August.

Vinesh and Bajrang's arrival back in India also coincides with the impending WFI elections that are slated to take place on 12 August in the capital.

As was requested by them, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh or his family members have not been allowed to stand in the elections. Though the BJP MP has a big influence on the election process, having held a meeting with 22 of the 25 voting states, a day before the submission deadline of the candidates.

Former wrestler, and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran is the only female candidate in the election, having been nominated for the president's post, along with three other men. She is also a key witness in the sexual harassment case against outgoing chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.