India, April 21 -- Four foreign wrestling coaches have been hired to guide the Indian team in the lead up to the 2026 Asian Games and with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Georgian Emzarios Shako Bentinidis, who was the personal coach of Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, has been chosen for the freestyle team. Russian Gogi Koguashvili, an Olympic medallist and five-time world champion, will train the Greco-Roman wrestlers. Japan's Kosei Akaishi, a two-time Olympic medallist, has been appointed the women's team coach, while USA's Ian Butler will serve as the high-performance director.

One reason for hiring foreign coaches is to get the top wrestlers to train within the country at national camps. There was a growing t...