Wrestlers Bajrang, Vinesh and Pooja awarded Grade A contracts
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has rolled out a grade-based contract system for wrestlers. More than 100 wrestlers have been included in the list. WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh revealed the names of the wrestlers included in the top four categories. Only three wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Pooja Dhanda, have been awarded Grade A contracts. Here's more.
Bajrang won a silver in the World Championships in 2018. He won gold in the Asian and Commonwealth Games 2018 in the 65kg category. 24-year-old Vinesh swept the top prize in Asian and CWG events, this year in the 50kg category. Pooja bagged bronze in World Championships and a silver in CWG in the 57kg category. Their impressive feats helped them secure top contracts.
The trio will receive an annual amount of Rs. 30 lakh a year, as per their Grade A contract. Meanwhile, two-time Olympic winner Sushil Kumar and 2016 Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik were handed Grade B contracts and will receive Rs. 20 lakh. Wrestlers in Grade C will get Rs. 10 lakh. On the other hand, Grade D wrestlers will receive Rs. 5 lakh.
According to a report, WFI President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh shared his views about champion wrestlers. "Sushil is an Olympian and despite his low participation, he is the wrestler who brought Indian wrestling to its feet again with two medals at the Olympics. He deserves this. Sakshi has had some up and down performances but this can be upgraded if she performs well."
The WFI is set to monitor the performances of wrestlers. The wrestling body has reserved the right to change the category of any wrestler. At the end of the day, the contract will only depend on the achievements of a wrestler. Further, both national and international performances of the athletes will be taken into account, for the review.
