A group of grapplers in the under-19 category, who were selected to participate in the World Grappling Championship to be held in Kazakhstan in September 2019, are seeking financial help to buy practice mats for their academy.
The grapplers say despite having performed at the national and international levels, they lack basic facilities to practice.
"We went to Bhutan. I got a gold medal in the South Asian Championship. We need proper training and we want a mat for the academy. We urged the concerned authorities to provide us a mat so that we can practice but they did not pay heed to our request," Priyanka, one of the grapplers, told ANI.
The grapplers said their coach is providing them training free of cost.
"Our coach in Dharamshala is training us for free but lack of equipment is a big obstacle. We have been selected for World Grappling Championship in Kazakhstan but we are collecting money for preparation," said Reema, another grappler. Left with no option, the grapplers have appealed the government to help them buy a mat so that they can prepare well and represent the country in the upcoming tournament.