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The Asian Games are scheduled to commence in Hangzhou, China on September 23 and IOA is required to submit the names of the competing athletes by July 15.
Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) request to postpone the July 15 deadline for submitting information about the nation's wrestling squad for the Asian Games may not be granted by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). As a result of their protracted protest, wrestlers who voiced their opposition to the WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will have to show up for the trials ill-prepared.
The IOA must submit the names of the competing athletes by July 15 in order for the Asian Games, which are set to begin in Hangzhou, China, on September 23, to be officially announced.
Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, three wrestlers who are protesting, want to be well-prepared for the trials and have asked for extra time to be in top physical and mental condition. They asked the Ministry of Sports to hold the trials in August.
IOA contacted OCA on Friday on behalf of the wrestlers.
According to a PTI report quoting a source with knowledge of the situation, it would be challenging for the OCA to grant the IOA's request to delay the submission of player names until August as made by six protesting wrestlers.
Quoting the source, the report added that at the Asian Games, OCA is in charge of 45 nations and 40 sports disciplines. It will be exceedingly challenging to grant the IOA's request to extend the deadline for wrestlers by roughly one and a half months.
The report added that OCA is still studying the matter. "If it was a matter of 4-5 days, it was not an issue but delaying it for 40-45 days is just not feasible," the reported quoted the source.
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All country federations have already been requested by the IOA to submit their final list of chosen athletes for the Asian Games by June 30.
The PTI source added that it's risky to give so much time. How is it possible to postpone entries by 1.5 months when the Asian Games begin on September 23? the source noted.
However, the report, quoting the source, stated that because a NOC made the request, "the OCA will have to take up" the matter.
The insider did add that the OCA would "not like to get involved" in a nation's local politics surrounding a specific sport.
"It (OCA) is an Asian organisation, it has to go by the rules of Asian committee. If OCA entertains a request from one country, then there are 45 other countries who will raise questions and ask OCA to also accommodate their requests," PTI reported quoting its source.
In order to submit the names to the IOA before the June 30 deadline assigned to all National Sports Federations (NSFs), the IOA ad-hoc committee was eager to hold the trials during the last week of June.