Delhi: Chhatrasal Stadium, a bright spot in murky world of Indian wrestling

Delhi based international freestyle wrestler Aman Sehrawat scripted history after he became the youngest Indian to win a medal at the Olympic Games last week.

Sehrawat won bronze in men’s 57kg on his debut at the Olympic Games, on August 9 in Paris. His bronze medal not only continued India’s success at the recent editions of the quadrennial sporting extravaganza but came as a big respite to the sport of wrestling, which has been facing tumultuous times since the last one year.

Sehrawat claimed he gave his 100% on the mat.

“I will continue to work hard and earn more glory for the country in future,” said the 21-year-old after his campaign in Paris. “I will put in more hard work to ensure that I remain in contention for gold medal at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.”

On his way to bronze, Sehrawat outplayed Puerto Rico’s Darian Cruz 13-5.

It should be noted that all Olympic Games medallists in wrestling in India have, at one point of time in their career, polished skills at Delhi’s iconic Chhatrasal Stadium.

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Sehrawat, who hails from Jhajjar in Haryana, too has been training at Chhatrasal.

“He lost his parents when he was yet to break into his teens. He (Aman) has been with us for a long time,” said Lalit Kumar, a senior wrestling coach at Chhatrasal Stadium, who is a Dronacharya Awardee.

Sehrawat’s bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games has also maintained India’s tradition of excelling at the Olympics since the 2008 Beijing Games.

Freestyle wrestler Sushil Kumar, who practiced at Chhatrasal Stadium, broke the glass ceiling by winning bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. His medal was India’s first in wrestling in 56 years. Four years later, he claimed a silver medal in his 66 kg category at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Freestyle wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, also a trainee of Chhatrasal Stadium, added bronze to India’s medal tally in 2012. At the Rio Olympic Games, Sakshi Malik became the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic Games medal, a bronze in the 58 kg category.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2021 after delay due to Covid-19 pandemic, Ravi Dahiya (57 kg) and Bajrang Punia (65 kg) won silver and bronze respectively, in their respective weight categories to add glory to Indian wrestling.

The Chhatrasal Stadium, under the jurisdiction of Delhi government, has been the main hub of wrestling since late 1980s.

But off the wrestling mat, it has been in the news for unsavoury incidents in recent past that has severely damaged the reputation of the wrestling community.

In 2021, India’s double Olympic Games medallist Sushil Kumar was allegedly involved in the murder of a young wrestler within the premises of the stadium. Kumar, who was posted at the stadium as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) from the Indian Railways at the time, was later arrested and put behind bars. The matter is still in court.

After Kumar’s incident, parents lost faith in wrestling and were reluctant to send their kids to practice at Chhatrasal Stadium.

However, Dahiya’s silver and Punia’s bronze at the Tokyo Games came as a big respite to the authorities.

“Two medals in wrestling at the Tokyo Olympic Games offered a big respite. It helped rebuild faith in parents and young wrestlers started coming to Chhatrasal for practice once again,” recalled a senior wrestling coach at Chhatrasal Stadium.

In the months leading to Paris Games, Chhatrasal Stadium was in news for another wrong reason. One of the wrestlers staying inside the stadium allegedly beat a coach. The matter was buried under the carpet as the coach, fearing repercussions, was reluctant to report the incident to police.

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But it had a huge impact on the training of those who were preparing for major international events, including Olympics.

The Delhi government shut down the hostel for wrestlers as there were several ineligible wrestlers staying inside the stadium. A panel was also set up but investigations have not been made public yet.

“The wrestlers should attend regular classes to update their communication skills,” said one of the senior wrestling coaches. “Off the mat skills would teach them become more disciplined.”

Sehrawat’s practice also came to a temporary halt due to the closure of the stadium. “Being an Olympic Games probable, he (Sehrawat) was later allowed to stay inside the stadium for practice,” said Kumar, Sehrawat’s personal coach.

According to Kirpa Shankar Bishnoi, a former international wrestler and Arjuna Awardee, Sehrawat’s bronze medal-winning feat would certainly act as a balm for Indian wrestling.

“The development of wrestling discipline that has won several medals at the Olympics since 2008 was disrupted due to protests by the wrestlers against the governance of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI),” said the Arjuna Awardee.

“Sehrawat’s bronze medal has, no doubt, continued Indian wrestling’s run at the world’s biggest stage, but it would certainly take long for the sport to return to the right track as wrestlers are fighting a legal battle against the former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.” Bishnoi believes that if damage control exercise is not done, it will be a challenging task to win medals at the Olympic Games in future.

“There were no national camps in preparation for the Paris Olympic Games. The WFI ad hoc panel appointed by IOA (Indian Olympic Association) in coordination with the sports ministry didn’t do a good job either,” he said.

Six wrestlers, including one male had qualified for the Paris Olympic Games.

“Seven wrestlers represented India at the Tokyo Olympic Games. India returned with two medals (silver and bronze) from there,” said Bishnoi.

On Olympian Vinesh Phogat failing to maintain her weight (50kg) for the second weighing-in before the gold medal round, Bishnoi said it was the responsibility of the coaching staff.

“Reducing weight is a common practice during wrestling competitions. The wrestlers know their body and are able to adjust accordingly,” he added.

“Vinesh’s coaching staff should have taken extra precautions to maintain her body weight (50kg).”

Vinesh was disqualified from compete in the finals by the world governing body in wrestling (UWW).

The Indian wrestler appealed to CAS (Court of Arbitration in Sports). The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha, however, said the responsibility of maintaining weight rests with the wrestler and not with IOA medical team.