WFI hiring professionals to boost Olympic preparations

New Delhi (IANS): The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is hiring professional support staff for the national teams in all three categories -- Mens Free Style, Greco Roman and the Womens team.

The WFI has invited applications for the posts of Physios, Nutritionist/Dietician, Masseurs and Mental Conditioning Coaches in all the three categories. The WFI will also hire a professional manager for the national team.

The WFI, following its association with Tata Motors and commercial partner Sporty Solutionz, has already become the first Olympic sports federation in the country to offer annual contracts to the leading wrestlers across all age categories, including stipends for select grassroots players.

The Tata Motors-WFI commercial association is the biggest partnership for a non-cricket sports discipline in the country. The WFI is also the only sports body in India outside cricket to ensure financial security to its leading athletes.

Speaking about hiring professionals, WFI President Brijbhushan Sharan Singh said: "The federation has decided to hire professionals with a view to bring in more professionalism in teams' functioning and operations and also ascertain accountability for individual and teams' performances. These hirings are aimed at preparing the players with a focus on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. These trained hands will closely work with the players at the Olympic preparatory camps in run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Games."

"WFI is grateful for the trust shown by Tata Motors and meticulous strategies devised by our commercial partner Sporty Solutionz. We strongly believe that this binding and cooperation will eventually help in and expedite the all-round growth of the sport in the country," he added.

A physiotherapist, biomechanics coach, mental conditioning trainer and nutritionist will be accompanying the wrestlers on exposure trips abroad, ensuring world-class preparations for each of the Indian grapplers.

Sakshi Malik, 2016 Rio Olympics bronze winner, looked upbeat about the WFI plans and said: "The new coaches already working with the team and now the news of the induction of professional support staff is a very significant move. This was a much-needed aspect of development and seamless training. I am happy that their presence will help and aid us to recover faster and train in more scientific ways".

The wrestling contingent has already got their foreign coaches. Hossein Karimi from Iran is working with the Free Style team, Andrew Cook from the USA is coaching the women's team and Temo Kazarashvili from Georgia is honing the skills of the Greco Roman boys.