NEW DELHI: The progress of wrestling in India has been 'severely affected' over the past two years due to significant disruptions, according to Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt. Despite these setbacks, he remains hopeful that the six Indian wrestlers competing in the Paris Games, starting on July 26, have the potential to secure two medals.
The sport faced a major hurdle when six of the nation's elite grapplers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, along with Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, staged prolonged protests against the former Wrestling Federation of India chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. As a result, wrestling activities in the country came to a standstill for nearly 18 months.
