Several women wrestlers write to PM Modi, IOA, SAI demanding fair Asian Games trials
New Delhi(PTI): Several women wrestlers, including medal winners from Commonwealth Games and Asian Championship, on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the ad-hoc panel running the WFI, requesting "fair trials" for Asian Games amidst reports that the six protesting grapplers may be given exemption.
The 24 women wrestlers from Sir Chhotu Ram Akhada in Rohtak, who also wrote to SAI Director General Sandeep Pradhan, have conveyed that they won't accept two-stage trial or any another relaxation given to the protesting grapplers.
The IOA-appointed ad-hoc panel has announced that Asian Games trials will be held on July 22-23 but did not reveal the criteria.
The wrestlers are even preparing to hit the roads for a fresh protest and approach the judiciary if any discriminatory decision is taken by the IOA ad-hoc committee.
Panel head Bhupender Singh Bajwa had on June 16 conveyed to the six protesting wrestlers -- Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Satyawart Kadian and Jirender Kinha -- that they will have to compete in just one final bout against the winners of the initial trials.
According to sources, the ad-hoc panel is deliberating over a criteria which will exempt current Olympic and World Championship medallists from the trials, which will benefit Bajrang, Vinesh and Ravi Dahiya.
The IOA has to submit the names of the participating wrestlers by July 23.
"Even if only three Olympians were to be given concessions, this would be wrong to the youngsters," the wrestlers said in the letter that was also marked to Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
"We feel this decision (two-stage trial) is unfair and unjust to the other emerging wrestlers of the nation as we have to fight and win approximately four to five bouts and one more qualifying bout against one of these wrestlers and in contrast they have to just fight single bout to qualify which is biased, unjustified and against the spirit of right of equality."
The letter further read, "India is a democratic country... and under Article 14 of the Indian constitution, every citizen must be given the right to equality.
"Indian constitution is liberal but the decision taken by the committee is against the fundamental rights of an individual's opportunity as we are not getting equal opportunity and these six wrestlers are given special concession and benefits in the trials without any proper reason and it is highly opposable and objectionable."
"We request you to reconsider this decision while keeping the rights, appeals, hope and future of all the talented emerging wrestlers in the account (sic)."
Manisha, winner of a bronze medal in the Asian Championship (Astana) and gold at the UWW Ranking Series event (Bishkek) this year, Pooja Gehlot, winner of a bronze medal at the Birmingham CWG along, along with 22 others, have signed the letter.
The signatories also include junior world championship bronze winner Ritika, U23 World Championship bronze winner Mansi, U23 Asian Championship silver medallist Rajni.
Talking to PTI, Manisha said, "There should be just one trial. They can beat us in competition and go to Asian Games. At least we will have satisfaction that they beat us. It is difficult to maintain weight. Two-stage trials is not acceptable."
"Lot of athletes are with us. There should be fair trials," she said.
Sarika, winner of bronze medal at the junior Asian Championship said, "If we have to protest or go to court, we are ready for everything. Wrestlers from Jalandhar, Sonepat, Jind and Hisar have also written letters to IOA and other authorities."
Jagdish Dhanda, a coach at Sir Chhotu Ram Akhada in Rohtak also said that they will not accept any discrimination.
"From the first day we were opposing any such move. There are several junior and sub junior wrestlers who fear that it might happen to them also, so they have also come forward and signed the letter," he said.
It is unclear if the six protesting wrestlers, who are in different parts of the world for training and competitions, will come back to India for trials this month.
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
