WFI Chief Blames US Visa Rejections for India’s Lost Medal Chances at U23 Wrestling Worlds

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh has criticised the US Embassy for denying visas to nine Indian wrestlers scheduled to compete at the U23 World Wrestling Championships 2026 in Las Vegas, claiming the decision cost India potential gold medals.

The affected athletes belonged to the Greco-Roman and women's wrestling categories. According to Singh, their visa applications were rejected because they were under 20 years of age and did not have full-time jobs.

Speaking to IANS on Wednesday, Singh described the decision as unprecedented in the tournament's history and said at least two of the nine wrestlers were strong gold medal contenders. He added that the president of United World Wrestling (UWW) had also written to the US authorities regarding the matter.

"The US Embassy rejected the visas of nine Indian wrestlers on the grounds that they are unemployed. For the first time in history this has happened. Even the UWW president wrote to them regarding the matter. This visa refusal is entirely the US Embassy's fault, and as a result, India lost out on gold medals. Among the nine wrestlers denied visas, at least two were strong gold medal prospects. India suffered a major medal loss due to the US Embassy's fault," Singh told IANS.

While all 10 members of India's men's freestyle team received visa clearance to travel to Las Vegas, the absence of nine wrestlers has affected the country's representation in Greco-Roman and women's wrestling.

The U23 World Championships began with Greco-Roman competitions from October 12 to 14, followed by the women's events from October 14 to 16. The men's freestyle competitions are scheduled for October 16 to 18.

Despite the setback, India has a chance to make history through Vishvajit More, who has reached the 55kg Greco-Roman final. More became the first Indian wrestler to reach a Greco-Roman final at the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas.

The two-time U23 world bronze medallist secured his place in the title bout after an impressive run featuring three closely contested victories.

More opened his campaign with a 10-8 win over Mexico's Isaac Marin Mata before defeating U20 world champion Armin Shamsipour 8-1 in the quarterfinals. He used a four-point throw against Shamsipour, who appeared to suffer a shoulder injury during the contest.

In the semifinal, More overcame Russia's Malik Gigiev 7-4 after a lengthy review to book his place in the final.

He will now face Georgia's Koba Karumidze, who advanced after an intense semifinal against Kyrgyzstan's Barsbek Asankozhoev.

A victory would make More the first Indian wrestler to win Greco-Roman gold at the U23 World Championships, offering a major boost to India's campaign despite the disruption caused by the visa denials.