Wrestling, similar to other sports, saw its tournament schedule gutted due to the coronavirus outbreak. Precautionary travel bans were put in place for the Asian qualifying rounds to stop the disease from spreading, which complicated the path to the Tokyo Olympics. Nevertheless, some wrestlers from India and other nations still succeeded in earning their Olympic spots through other international platforms. While India had prepared to host a major international wrestling event, the escalating health crisis forced the organizers to call it off.
Like any other sports, wrestling had to cut back some of their championship wrestling tournaments due to coronavirus the health crisis. For the Asian qualifier competitions where the wrestlers had to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic had banned from traveling as a precautionary measure to keep oneself safe and to avoid the chance of transmitting the disease. Yet, some of the Indian and international wrestlers had obtained the Olympic quota, by attending the arrangements for the quadrennial event at the international wrestling platforms. India was to host the international wrestling championship for the grapplers but got called off due to the viral spread of the virus in the country.
The impact of the virus led to the suspension of several critical Olympic qualifiers, including the European and Asian tournaments scheduled for the end of March. The disruption continued into early April 2020 with the postponement of the World Wrestling Qualifier Tournament, throwing the sports world into disarray. As the situation evolved into a global pandemic, many nations withdrew their athletes, leading to a domino effect of canceled matches. Although a few international competitions were tentatively planned for the second and third weeks of June 2020, athletes eventually announced that these matches would be suspended early.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is currently attempting to organize a training camp for late May, specifically for those who have secured Olympic quotas and those likely to medal. However, the WFI anticipates a low turnout. Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar noted that because wrestling is an intimate contact sport, many grapplers might be hesitant to attend a communal camp given the ongoing risks of the pandemic. WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh mentioned that coaches have been instructed to maintain close communication with the athletes to coordinate future plans. He confirmed that while most wrestlers are currently training independently at home or in local arenas, the primary focus remains on those already qualified for the Olympics. For instance, Bajrang Punia has been training alongside Jitender Kumar, and Vinesh Phoga is reportedly working hard to refine her technique.