Institute a mechanism to deal with sexual harassment cases in sports

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Anshu Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on January 19. (Source: AFP)

Winner by fall. That would sound good in a wrestling competition. Sadly, fans of Indian sport are bracing themselves to see the fall of either the Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh or an elite grappler Vinesh Phogat. She made sexual harassment charges against him when staging a protest along with fellow wrestlers at the Jantar Mantar.

The image of Indian sport, not just wrestling, has taken a beating. And everyone who cares for sport in the country will agree that things should never have come to such a pass. India is now left with an either-or situation and with nobody coming out of this sordid episode smelling of roses.

To be sure, sport must be played in a psychologically safe environment, and it is imperative that it is not just elite sport that gets the attention. While the elite athletes in national camps may have greater protection in terms of having lady wardens in their hostels and round-the-clock security arrangements, it is the lower rungs of sport that need better safety mechanisms.

Successive Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports, including incumbent Anurag Singh Thakur in December 2021, have told Parliament that all Sports Authority of India centres has Internal Complaints Committees with senior woman officers as Chairpersons.  Besides, the ministers have pointed out that a 24x7 call centre is operational in SAI for trainees to lodge complaints.

Indeed, it is not as if rules are not in place.

Guidelines issued

Back in August 2010, the Ministry issued to the national sports federations a set of guidelines to prevent sexual harassment of women in sports. This was just after a woman hockey player accused chief coach MK Kaushik of sexual harassment at the national camp in Bhopal. A ministerial panel absolved him of the charges but said he had used inappropriate language.

Now, at the time of granting or extending the recognition of an NSF, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports stipulates that the federation shall ensure strict compliance with government guidelines to prevent unethical practices in sports such as age fraud, sexual harassment of women in sports, doping, etc.

Of course, NSFs, their affiliates across the States and Union Territories, the district units as well as clubs must ensure that such safety is built into their system. And everyone in the ecosystem must understand that nothing is of greater importance than the safety of athletes and others involved.

There is no doubt that sportswomen have been at the forefront of India’s growing success in the international arena. Seven of India’s 15 medals in the last three Olympic Games have been brought home by women. Indeed, the contribution of sportswomen to India’s evolution in sports has been remarkable, to say the least.

And yet, like the rose with thorns, such dynamic forward movement in Indian sport has come along with avoidable slides. The latest controversy has the potential to leave Indian wrestling ravaged beyond recognition. The sport, which has won India medals in each Olympic Games since Sushil Kumar gained bronze in 2008, is threatened like never before.

With a World Ranking tournament in Belgrade from February 1, it is anyone’s guess if the Indian contingent would be in the physical and mental shape to mount a serious challenge. It is the year of the World Championships and Asian Games. If the country’s leading wrestlers are staying away from training, it does not send the best signals.

Independent mechanism

There are some lessons to be learnt from the storm that is raging. The absence of an independent mechanism to address sexual harassment cases in Indian sports has become very evident. And, the grievance redressal mechanism for extreme cases where the complaint is against a top gun of NSFs must be placed under such independent wings.

Without an independent agency to educate, monitor and ensure implementation, it appears difficult for anyone facing harassment to speak up. Perhaps that is the reason there does not seem to be any record of a wrestler, experienced or junior, having alleged sexual harassment. Not with the police, or the WFI. Not with IOA or the NGOs they are associated with.

There can be no doubt that there is a dire need for a uniform grievance redressal mechanism to be in place. It will not only make everyone feel safe but also, and perhaps more importantly, encourage everyone in the ecosystem to report sexual harassment with the belief that justice would be done.

The wrestlers’ agitation led to the stepping aside of the Federation president and the stalling of all activities – a tournament has been suspended, a national camp has been cancelled and meetings of the executive called off. It does merit the attention that none of these happened when an FIR was lodged against a functionary of the Handball Federation of India.

The alarm bells, ringing out loud, ought to be heard. And, acted upon. India and its athletes deserve a more psychologically safe environment to sharpen their skills in their quest to bring glory to the country. Hopefully, India will learn its lessons and improve the implementation of rules around athlete safety and integrity.

And, we will hear the words ‘Winner by Fall’ being announced in better circumstances.

G Rajaraman is a freelance sports writer with nearly 40 years of experience. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.