New Delhi, Mar 1 (.) The Indian women’s wrestling team has been stranded in Tirana after widespread airspace closures triggered by the escalating Israel-Iran conflict disrupted international flight schedules.
The Indian government and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) have arranged accommodation for the contingent in the Albanian capital.
Several West Asian nations shut their airspace after Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting Israel and US military bases across the region, including installations in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. The escalation followed earlier attacks by the US and Israel.
A 16-member Indian women’s squad, along with support staff, had travelled to Albania for the Muhamet Malo 2026 wrestling tournament, which concluded on Sunday. The team was scheduled to return to India via Dubai, but their connecting flight was cancelled amid the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, leaving them stranded in Tirana.
In contrast, the men’s freestyle team, whose competition ended earlier, managed to return to India before the disruptions intensified.
Indian women’s wrestling coach Manjeet confirmed that the squad is currently staying at a hotel near the airport and expressed gratitude for the swift response from the authorities.
“We don’t have any problem here. We are safe here,” Manjeet said.
Chief coach Virender Singh said the Sports Ministry and WFI reached out soon after the cancellation of their flight.
“After our flight was cancelled, we received a call from the Sports Ministry and WFI. We are not facing any kind of problem here. WFI has assured us that we will not face any difficulty until the situation is sorted out,” Singh said.
India had sent a 48-member contingent for the Muhamet Malo 2026 ranking series event, with 16 wrestlers each in men’s freestyle, women’s wrestling and Greco-Roman categories.
Sujeet Kalkal, a U23 world champion, emerged as India’s lone gold medallist at the tournament, clinching the men’s 65kg freestyle title as the country finished with a total of seven medals — one gold, three silver and three bronze.
. TIB .
