India faces ban after denying visa to Pakistani shooters

The United World Wrestling (UWW) has asked all the national federations under it to stop communication with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in the wake of visa denial of Pakistani shooters in the recent World Cup here. The denial of visa to Pakistani shooters had led to the International Olympic Committee suspending discussions with India for hosting future global events.

"UWW recommends to all the affiliated and associated national wrestling federations to suspended their discussions or relations with the Indian wrestling federation," the world body wrote in its letter to national federations, according to a WFI source.

The denial of visas to Pakistani shooters in the Delhi World Cup last month has jeopardised India's chances of hosting the Olympics or any global event with the IOC suspending all such discussions with the country and recommending that no big tournament be awarded to it.

It remains to be seen to what extent the UWW directive would affect Indian wrestlers. At the just-concluded Dan Kolov event in Bulgaria, Indian wrestlers had put up an impressive show as they won two gold and two silver medals. Bajrang Punia and Pooja Dhanda won gold while Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat settled for silver medals.

India denied visas to Pakistani shooters for the World Cup in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack. At least 42 CRPF personnel were killed last month in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 30 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district that also left many critically wounded. More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir.