Ask Sushil Kumar or Yogeshwar Dutt and they will tell you how this place has helped them script many a success story at the major international events.
Like every other time, each of the eight Rio-bound Indian wrestlers is eager to visit the Colorado Springs in the USA before reaching Brazil. The reason: Colorado is known as the City of Champions.
Ask Sushil Kumar or Yogeshwar Dutt and they will tell you how this place has helped them script many a success story at the major international events. But this time around, the wrestlers' preparation for the Rio Games could suffer a set back due to a mistake on the part of Wrestling Federation of India.
As per plan, all eight wrestlers – 4 men's freestyle and 1 Greco-Roman and 3 women's freestyle – were planning a three-week long training programme at Colorado's Olympic Centre before reaching Rio. But WFI's inability to inform the same to Colorado Centre organisers well in time has spoiled their plans.
As a result, the wrestlers from other participating nations have been accommodated by the organisers for the training session till the Rio Games.
Training in Colorado with the wrestlers from other countries had actually paid handsome dividends to Indians in the form of rich medal haul. This was the case before the 2012 London Olympics, 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas.
Now, there is only option left for WFI. Stay outside Colorado Centre and pay from its own pocket for all the expenses like hotel and food. This simply means WFI has to pay quite a substantial amount for their accommodation.
Otherwise, the stay on the sprawling 35-acre Colorado complex wouldn't have cost the WFI much as the accommodation and food is provided to the sportspersons at subsidised rates.
"I have heard that many teams are already practicing there. The WFI is working on the situation. Training in Colorado has always been helpful. It would be of great help in the run up to Rio Olympics," said Dutt, who will spearhead the Indian challenge in the 65kg category.
The WFI is yet to figure out whether to put the wrestlers in a hotel in Colorado or continue with their national camp at the SAI Centre, Sonepat, for the remaining part of their training before the team leaves for Rio.
The wrestlers will participate in Spain in an invitational tournament on July 9-10. They have told the WFI that they would ideally like to leave for Colorado directly from Spain. That leaves the WFI with less time to work out their training programme.
The wrestlers' contention has been that the weather conditions, time zone and less travelling time to Rio would make a lot of difference to their preparation for Rio, something they would miss in the Indian conditions.
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