Indian Athletes' Earlier Disappearance In Slovakia Delays Wrestling Team's Visas For U20 World Championships

Published 11 August 2026 · sports

News sports other-sports Indian Athletes' Earlier Disappearance In Slovakia Delays Wrestling Team's Visas For U20 World Championships Indian Athletes' Earlier Disappearance In Slovakia Delays Wrestling Team's Visas For U20 World Championships Published By, Last Updated: August 11, 2026, 15:58 IST Slovakian embassy delayed visas for India's U20 wrestling team due to past missing athletes. WFI, MEA, Sports Ministry, UWW intervened. Issue resolved, team to travel in batches. The issue has been resolved. (AFP Photo) The Slovakian embassy reportedly delayed issuing visas to India’s wrestling contingent for the upcoming U20 World Championships after an earlier case involving Indian athletes who allegedly went missing from the country. For the championships, scheduled in Bratislava (Slovakia) from August 16 to 23, the Indian wrestlers have to travel by August 14 to complete weigh-ins and other pre-event formalities. However, according to The New Indian Express, the team’s visa applications were pending until Monday even though the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had sought an appointment with the Slovakian Embassy on July 21.

The Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI) confirmed the delay but claimed it was due to an incident involving athletes from other sports who had travelled to Slovakia in June. “We have been informed that a few athletes (not wrestlers) from India visited Slovakia in June and some of them went missing from the country. This cast doubt on our wrestlers as well, which is why the visa process got delayed," a WFI official was quoted as saying by the publication. However, the issue has been addressed and the federation plans to send the contingent in batches. “Now the issue is resolved and hopefully the team can fly out in batches as has been decided by the federation," the official said. The issue was reportedly resolved after intervention from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Sports Ministry, United World Wrestling (UWW) and the WFI.

The wrestlers are scheduled to submit their passports on Tuesday and appear for interviews at in New Delhi on Wednesday. The WFI has assured the embassy that every member of its contingent will return after the championships and is ready for head counts at the embassy if needed. A 45-member Indian contingent will travel to Bratislava, including 30 wrestlers, nine coaches, three physiotherapists and three referees. The Slovak Wrestling Association accepted its Indian counterpart faced difficulties with the visa process. However, their president Jan Karsnak denied having any official information regarding the earlier incident. “We have only received unofficial information about problems with issuing visas for athletes of other sports, but we do not have official information about who it was and what the problem was," Karsnak told the publication. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Feroz Khan Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent.