Firoz Mirza

CHENNAI: At times, her mother Babita, who is a housewife and has received no formal training in wrestling, had to turn up on the mat to be her sparring partner. Her father Ravinder, a driver by profession, too faced difficulties in supporting her to pursue her dreams. Then Covid struck, stranding everyone across the globe in their respective houses. Haryana wrestler Kajal and her family were no different.

CHENNAI: Ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, scheduled to begin on September 19, India received another big doping jolt as a medal potential in wrestling tested positive for a stimulant (Mephentermine). The wrestler has since been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The freestyle wrestler in question, Mukul Dahiya, competes in the 86kg weight category and won a silver medal in the 2026 Asian Championships. He is currently attending an exposure-cum-training camp in Yerevan, Armenia along with Asian Games-bound freestyle wrestlers. Given the situation, India will go unrepresented in the weight category now.

CHENNAI: Jai Bhagwan made a great start to his international career when he won a silver medal at the Cadets Wrestling World Championships in 1991. His senior debut too was memorable as he clinched a gold medal in the 48kg weight category in the 1995 Commonwealth Championship.

CHENNAI: With a couple of its selected wrestlers (Deepanshu, 130kg Greco-Roman and Mukul Dahiya, 86kg freestyle) failing dope tests, the wrestling contingent for the Asian Games too has been reduced by two. Instead of 18 (six in each style including women wrestling), only 16 wrestlers will vie for medals at the continental games. Given the recent developments, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to call back Mukul from Yerevan, Armenia where the freestyle wrestlers are attending an exposure-cum-training camp for the Asian Games.

CHENNAI: Wrestler Mukul Dahiya's sample, which returned positive for a stimulant (Mephentermine) leading to his ouster from the 2026 Asian Games, was taken during the selection trials held to pick the national squad for the quadrennial event. The trials were held at the SAI centre in Lucknow on May 31. Dahiya competes in the 86kg weight category and stood first in the trials.

CHENNAI: In another embarrassing turn of events in wrestling, days after two wrestlers missed the flight to Asian Games due to failed dope tests, two more grapplers, this time from the U23 age-group, were provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency for various anti-doping offences. Apart from them, a senior wrestler, who won a gold medal in the U23 World Championships in 2024 was also served a notice for three whereabouts failures and staring at a ban for Anti Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

CHENNAI: The rising number of dope offences in its ranks has forced the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to issue an advisory asking wrestlers to exercise the highest degree of caution and personal responsibility in matters relating to anti-doping compliance. As many as four wrestlers, including two grapplers who were initially supposed to travel to the Asian Games, failed dope tests of late. Deepanshu (130kg Greco-Roman) and Mukul Dahiya (86kg freestyle) won the selection trials in their respective weight categories but failed the tests. With no replacement allowed for dope-tainted athletes at the quadrennial event, India will now go unrepresented in these weight categories in Japan.

CHENNAI: Their country has been ravaged by flash floods, which has killed more than 500 people so far. A warning of a second wave has sent shockwaves among the Nepal residents, especially those living near the China-Tibet border. Amidst the gloom, a Nepali wrestling contingent, comprising four men freestyle and two women wrestlers along with their coach, is currently training at Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

CHENNAI: India's ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has every medal in her trophy cabinet except a podium finish at the Asian Games. It's more than a decade since s

CHENNAI: Taking a cue from the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI's) book, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has instructed its affiliated members to review history of players' Aadhar updates for the past one year before their registration. The BCCI's mandate meant the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has declared 62 players, including a current and a former India U19 player, ineligible for registration or transfer for any tournaments during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. There were discrepancies in their documents including the age certificates. It was learnt that the BCCI made it mandatory before registration of U19 and U23 players.