CWG 2022: Time for strong mat finish in wrestling at Birmingham | Commonwealth Games 2022 News – Times of India

For some of the Indian wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, this could be their swansong Commonwealth Games. No, they haven’t announced their retirements, there’s another reason altogether.
The Australian state of Victoria – which is hosting CWG 2026 – has dropped wrestling, along with shooting and archery, from its initial sports programme list and there’s no guarantee that they will be put back in. The ongoing edition of the Birmingham Games also doesn’t feature shooting and archery.
The hosts of the 2030 and 2034 editions of the CWG will be announced next year and it will be interesting to see whether the organisers keep wrestling as part of the Games programme. In a combat sport like wrestling, the grapplers are prone to injuries and it can take just one setback to end a career.
Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi have been struggling with injuries on multiple fronts and it will be a big task for them to prolong their careers that far.
In such a case, the trio will look to shine on the CWG stage in Birmingham with a gold medal finish in their respective weight categories when the events get under way at the Coventry stadium and arena on Friday.
Bajrang and Sakshi are the Olympic medallists, with the latter being the only Indian woman to have won a Summer Games medal in wrestling.

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