Kumar is upset that the Indian wrestling squad is without a dedicated physiotherapist. -Photo by AFP

NEW DELHI: One of India's top medal prospects and team flag-bearer at the London Olympics, wrestler Sushil Kumar, is unhappy with arrangements after being left without a personal physio, officials said Friday.

Kumar, a bronze-medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is upset that the Indian wrestling squad is without a dedicated physiotherapist despite the prospect of multiple, bone-jarring bouts on the same day.

He has even offered to pay from his own pocket for the expenses of national wrestling physio Arvinderpal Singh, who has been working with the team for the past two years but has not been accredited for London.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) secretary-general Raj Singh said his organisation was trying its best to secure the trainer a place at the competition venues.

“We are trying to get the physio and we are also trying to get a visa for him,” he told AFP.

India's chief wrestling coach Vinod Kumar added that they planned to meet with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to discuss the problem.

“Sushil wants his own physio and our officials will meet with IOA and hopefully the issue will be resolved,” said Kumar.

Kumar's complaints come after sports officials expressed shock last month at the Olympic training camp for the wrestlers at Sonepat, 45 kilometres (30 miles) north of New Delhi.

One inspector went public with the findings, saying rotten fruit had been found in an unhygienic kitchen being used to prepare food for the team.

India has a dismal record at the Olympics. Its team won just one gold and two bronze medals at the Beijing Games and the country's sports administrators are regularly accused of incompetence.

The country will send a 142-member contingent to the London Games, including 81 athletes.

Indian shooters Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang, boxers Mary Kom and Vijender Singh, badminton star Saina Nehwal and tennis players Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza are the other serious gold medal contenders.

Kumar, speaking to the Hindustan Times newspaper, said that a physio was “an important part of the support system in our game.”

“The extremely competitive nature of our sport and the fact that we have to fight four to six bouts in a day makes it imperative that we have a full-time physio. Without him, we can never be at our best,” he added.

Opinion

Editorial

Lull in fighting
Updated 28 Jul, 2026

Lull in fighting

AFTER two weeks of escalating violence, the US has halted its strikes on Iran, with Tehran also silencing it guns....
Water policy
28 Jul, 2026

Water policy

THE country is caught in a crisis where there too much water at the wrong time and too little when it is most ...
Ending hepatitis
28 Jul, 2026

Ending hepatitis

WORLD Hepatitis Day is being observed under the theme ‘Hepatitis: Let’s break it down’, a call to remove the...
Writing on the wall
27 Jul, 2026

Writing on the wall

EVERY few months, another set of figures reminds Pakistan of a painful reality. Sahil’s latest Six Months Cruel...
Still unprepared
27 Jul, 2026

Still unprepared

EVEN as Pakistan counts around 100 deaths since the onset of the monsoon season on June 26, it is bracing for ...
Delayed devolution
27 Jul, 2026

Delayed devolution

THE debate over Islamabad’s reluctance to fully let go of devolved subjects has been running since 2010. But it ...