NEW DELHI: Tokyo Olympics silver winner Ravi Dahiya and 2019 World Championships medallist Deepak Punia, along with six other Indian wrestlers, have been selected for a special camp in Teteven, Bulgaria from February 5 to 23.
The Sports Ministry has approved the training camp on the recommendations of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) keeping in mind the Indian grapplers' preparations for a busy season which includes the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The 14-member squad will include four freestyle, four Greco-Roman wrestlers, four sparring partners and two coaches, a WFI release stated.
Upon their return, they will join the national camp for 83 male wrestlers which is being scheduled at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Sonipat.
At the same time, as many as 48 women wrestlers will be in the national camp in the SAI Centre in Lucknow.
The national camps, being organised by the WFI from February 7 to March 31, are also being fully funded by the sports ministry.
"We appreciate the speedy approval from SAI for the wrestlers' camp and special training ahead of the Asian Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games," WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said in the release.
"With such support by the Ministry and SAI, our athletes can continue to deliver results on the international stage. We have widened our talent pool to ensure good bench strength."
Squad for special camp in Bulgaria: Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Punia, Gourav Baliyan and Sandeep Singh (Freestyle); Sunil Kumar, Sajan Bhanwal, Ravi Malik and Ashu (Greco-Roman); Arun, Arun Kumar, Monu Dahiya and Hardeep (sparring partners).
Coaches: Balwant Singh Chikara and SB Prasad.
