Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia among wrestlers to be financially aided by SAI

The Sports Ministry’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has approved financial assistance of ₹6.16 Lakh for the Olympic Bronze medallist grappler Bajrang Punia. The star grappler is currently in his 18-day special training camp in Iran.

The Bronze medal winning grappler is currently sweating it out in Iran accompanied by his coach Sujeet Mann. Bajrang Punia is gearing up to be in action n the Selection Trials on March 24 at the KD Jadhav Wrestling Indoor Stadium in the national capital, New Delhi.

the 28-year-old who has been leading India’s wrestling contingent in several world class tournaments will once again compete in the 65kg category. Punia is eager to do well in the upcoming tournaments as he will lead the Indian Freestyle and Greco Roman contingent to the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, this April 24. He will also have an eye on the Commonwealth Games where he will look aim for medals this August followed by the prestigious Asian Games. Punia will look to win accolades in all the tournaments lined up for this year and therefore he is practising in full swing.

“Whatever tournament comes until Paris, I’m going to give my best performance and my aim is to change the colour of my medal in Paris 2024,” said Bajrang Punia.

Just like Punia, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre Lucknow too will conduct the selection trials for the Indian Senior Women’s Wrestling Teams on March 25. The top performers in these trials will be selected for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships held in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.

The MOC meanwhile has also approved a financial assistance of Rs 2.45 Lakh for Para Athlete (Club Throw F51) Amit Saroha. The Para athlete will get this assistance under the banner of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Saroha needs financial assistance for the fees towards his personal physiotherapist Ankit Rahodia. The Para athlete will receive this financial assistance from March 2022 to the Para Asian Games 2022. Amit Saroha is a nationwide inspiration for athletes belonging to different walks of life. He is an Arjuna Awardee and a national treasure. Both Saroha and Bajrang Punia are part of the TOPS core team and big results are expected from them in the upcoming tournaments this year.