US Embassy in New Delhi refuses visas to nine Indian wrestlers ahead of U23 World Championships

The United States denied visas to nine members of India’s wrestling contingent when they attended appointments at the US Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 7, jeopardising their participation at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas from October 12 to 18. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been told the refusals were reportedly on the basis that the athletes are under 20 years old and not formally employed.

The U23 World Championships are for competitors aged between 18 and 23, and the WFI has highlighted that several selected wrestlers are in the early stages of their sporting careers and therefore not in formal employment. The federation says 24 members of the Indian delegation attended visa appointments on Wednesday, including 16 wrestlers, and that passports were returned to applicants after their interviews. Among those whose applications were refused is Neha Sangwan, identified by the WFI as the 2024 U17 World Champion. The WFI has requested the US Embassy to reconsider the refused applications.

In a letter sent to the Embassy, the WFI set out the numbers who attended the appointments and the scale of the refusals. "Today, 24 participants appeared at the Embassy for their visa appointments, out of which 16 were wrestlers. Unfortunately, 09 wrestlers were refused visas, reportedly due to their employment status and are below 20 years of age," the WFI said in its letter.

The federation named the nine athletes whose visas were refused: Samarth Gajanan Mhakave, Dheeraj Kumar Malik, Sachin Kumar, Nikhil, Hardeep, Parveen, Ahilya Shatrughn Shinde, Neha Sharma and Neha Sangwan.

The WFI has also sought reconsideration for wrestlers who had not yet attended embassy appointments and expressed concern for those scheduled to go on Thursday. "We are deeply concerned about the remaining wrestlers who are scheduled to appear for their visa appointments tomorrow, as most of them are also currently unemployed and below 20 years of age," the WFI said.

The WFI says the visa refusals have put India’s participation at the U23 World Championships under a cloud and it is hoping the US Embassy will reverse the decisions so the affected wrestlers can travel to Las Vegas. The U23 World Wrestling Championships are scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from October 12 to 18.