Haryana Wrestler Reetika Hooda Faces Visa Hurdles Amid Olympic Preparations

Haryana wrestler Reetika Hooda, preparing for the Olympics, is struggling to secure a visa for her coach, Mandeep, as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has not included him on the list of approved support staff. Despite other wrestlers receiving approval for their personal coaches, Reetika's repeated requests remain unanswered.

At a critical time of Olympic preparations, Haryana's Reetika Hooda is caught in bureaucratic red tape over securing a visa for her coach Mandeep. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has excluded Mandeep from the list of approved support staff, despite Reetika being the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify in the heavyweight 76kg division.

Reetika, a U-23 world champion, had initially requested the IOA in May to permit the travel of her coach and physio. Similar appeals were made to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in June. Surprisingly, while other wrestlers have had their requests for personal coaches approved, Reetika's pleas have gone unanswered.

''It's disheartening to see everyone assigned a personal coach except me,'' Reetika expressed to PTI. She noted that her application was initially dismissed on the grounds that no personal coaches were allowed, only to see exemptions later granted to others. Further complicating matters, IOA officials claim that her request was mishandled, with promises from their end to expedite the visa process.

(With inputs from agencies.)