Indian Wrestling News: India has withdrawn from the World Wrestling Championship and the WFI (Indian Wrestling Federation) has withdrawn from the event. The blame lies with the athletic department. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Wednesday recalled the Indian wrestling team for the World Championship. Following this decision, the WFI has informed the UWW (World Wrestling Federation).
In fact, the WFI said the sports ministry was interfering with its autonomy. The senior world championships in 12 non-Olympic categories will be held on October 28 in Tirana, Albania. The WFI’s recent announcement of a selection trial for the Under-23 and World Championships was in contempt of court by protesting wrestlers who challenged the validity of the suspended WFI selections.
WFI withdrew the notice of selection trial and the court decided on October 4 not to proceed with the contempt petition. WFI sources told PTI that Sakshi Malik’s husband Satyavarat Kadian recently told the court that WFI should be charged with contempt of court. We will no longer be able to send the Indian team to the World Championships and we have informed the UWW of this.
The source said this all happened due to the suspension of the ministry. There is no basis for continuing the suspension. None of these issues would have surfaced had the ministry lifted the moratorium. The ministry did not lift the ban due to the losses suffered by some of the wrestlers.
Ministry of Sports bans WFI on December 24
On December 24, the WFI was immediately suspended by the Sports Ministry following the vote to elect new officials. WFI President Sanjay Singh wrote in a letter to UWW President Nenad Lalovic: It is unfortunate that MYAS (Ministry) continues to interfere with WFI’s autonomy. MYAS has ordered WFI to cease the day-to-day management responsibilities of WFI with effect from December 24, 2023 and directed the Indian Olympic Association (OCI) to form an ad hoc committee to manage WFI Water for Injection.
The UWW had lifted its ban on the WFI in February after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) dissolved the ad hoc group that governed the federation in March this year.
When WFI started functioning, wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyavrat filed a petition in the court seeking the appointment of an administrator to run the sports body. In its interim order, the court said the decision of the IOA (Indian Olympic Association) to dissolve the ad hoc committee was inconsistent with the suspension order of the Sports Ministry.
It said that until the suspension order is lifted, the affairs of the federation need to be managed by an ad hoc committee. However, the IOA told the court it could not reconstitute the panel.
