Kirtisna set to become India's first woman wrestling referee at Asian Games

CHENNAI: When the wrestling competitions begin at the Inae Nagoya City Sports Centre in Nagoya on September 30, India's Kirtisna Arya will etch her name in history books. She will become the first woman wrestling referee from the country to officiate in any Games be it Olympic, Commonwealth or Asian Games.

For a late bloomer, who started to wrestle only after clearing class X, the history-making feat brings with it a sense of pride and immense responsibilities. "It will be a proud moment but the occasion will bring with it a lot of responsibilities," an elated Kirtisna told this daily.

Daughter of renowned wrestler Omveer Singh, Kirtisna is second among three daughters. Despite hailing from a wrestling background, Kirtisna's entry into the sport was not easy. Societal pressures meant they (younger Pritisna as well) started wrestling when their father set up an academy in Haridwar, Uttarakhand after ending his playing career. The sisters took up the sport like a fish to water and soon climbed up the ladder to make their mark at the national level. Kirtisna, in particular, won a handful of medals at the national level before finishing on podium in international tournaments.

An ACL tear in 2009, however, meant she turned her attention to coaching while remaining active as a player. In her bid to stay connected with the game, she completed an NIS coaching diploma in 2010-11 before returning to the wrestling mat as a player. "I was advised to have surgery but I preferred rehabilitation and physiotherapy. I also wanted to utilise my time off the mat and so registered for a diploma course in coaching," the 37-year-old, who now works as senior coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), informed this mast.

Despite clearing the coaching examination, Kirtisna continued her winning streak on the mat and won national and international medals. The coaching diploma came handy when she got married in 2015. Before that, she applied for an assistant coach's position at SAI and cleared the examination and interview with distinction. "I got married on May 14 and six days later joined the senior national women's camp in Lucknow as an assistant coach. My husband, Soninder, and in-laws are very cooperative. Soninder, in fact, always makes things easy for me despite not being a sportsperson himself," said Kirtisna.

She gave birth to a baby girl, who was named Pannavi, next year and that changed her outlook towards life. "With a kid, it was not possible to attend camps but I always wanted to stay in touch with wrestling. That made me do a non-certification course in refereeing in 2016. Officiating in any events was feasible as I have to spend only a few days away from home. Besides, I can also accompany my daughter to the event."

Kirtisna then wanted to complete the Level 1 referee course and registered for it during an international event in Egypt in 2019. However, she could not get the requisite permission from her department in time that eventually made her opt out of the examination. "It was heartbreak but I again opted for it three years later. It was to be held in Cambodia but I was seven months into my second pregnancy then. It was also Covid time and travelling internationally was not easy. With help from my husband, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and SAI, I did it to complete the Level 1 course. Next year, I completed Level 2. Recently, I have appeared in the Level 3 exam. I am awaiting the result."

Speaking on the historic assignment, Kirtisna said it was an unexpected call. "When the WFI informed me about it, I was pleasantly surprised. At the same time, it gave me confidence as the world body has shown trust in me. I know it's a big event and even a small mistake can have a negative impact on my career as a referee but I am confident after officiating in several international and national meets in the past. My daughter is more excited than me. What to say about my father and husband. They are beaming with pride."

The responsibility will keep her away from home and more importantly her three-and-a-half-year-old son Darsh for 10 days. "Soninder manages it when children cannot accompany me. I know it will be difficult for them but they will understand what their mother did when they grow up and hopefully take pride in it. I would also like to thank SP Deshwal, president Uttarakhand Wrestling Association and WFI's Vinod Tomar as without their support the journey was impossible," said the referee.

A couple of referees — one male and one female — from the country has been chosen by the UWW for the multi-disciplinary event in Japan. Satyadev Malik is another Indian referee. "The children had accompanied me to various events in the past. Sometimes, it's difficult but the responsibility gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction. Hopefully, I fulfill the latest responsibility to the best of my potential," signed off Kirtisna.

A former wrestler and senior SAI coach, Kirtisna had won several national and international medals including a silver medal at the 2011 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in Melbourne

Daughter of renowned wrestler, Omveer Singh, she started wrestling quite late but medalled in her first event, which was a tournament for cadets

She was also the assistant coach of the women team that participated in the 2015 World Championships

2 wrestling referees from India to officiate at the Asian Games

1st Kirtisna will be the first woman from the country to officiate at any Games be it Olympic, Commonwealth or Asian Games