P.T. Usha says me-too protest by top wrestlers amounts to "indiscipline"

The relationship between athletes and administrators in India has always been one-sided, with sportspeople typically at the mercy of officials. From the time athletes start representing their districts and states, they are beholden to administrators for help with selection into teams, for sponsorships and other financial benefits that come with playing sport at the top level. Given their need, it’s not uncommon for unscrupulous administrators to take advantage of, often, ambitious and gullible young sportspeople.

Citing Right to Information (RTI) data, the Quint reported that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) recorded 45 complaints of sexual harassment between 2010 and 2020. This includes a complaint by a junior athletics coach against Haryana sports minister and BJP leader Sandeep Singh in January, and a boxer from Haryana, who was allegedly assaulted by a coach in March 2020. Last year, a cyclist accused the national team coach of sexual harassment. The India under-17 women’s football team assistant coach, the Tamil Nadu track and field coach, a TN state boxing association secretary, among several others, have faced various accusations of misconduct.

The current crisis is bigger for a couple of reasons. The protestors include decorated wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia. Malik won a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Punia got a bronze in 2020 (2021) Tokyo while Phogat has multiple medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games. These are legitimate stars, who are risking the rest of the careers by taking on a powerful politician and administrator.

“Wrestlers staging protest on streets amounts to indiscipline. It is tarnishing the image of India,” a PTI article quotes Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President P.T. Usha as saying after IOA’s Executive Committee meeting on April 27.

The exact extent of this alleged harassment is not clear yet and would become so if there is an impartial investigation into it. When these allegations first came to light in January, the minister was asked to step aside and a six-member oversight committee, that included Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom, was formed to look into it. The other members included former chief executive officer of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Rajesh Rajagopalan, former SAI executive director Radhika Sreeman, former badminton national champion Trupti Murgunde, Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt and wrestler Babita Phogat.

One of the complaints that the protestors have is that the findings of the committee were not made public. The Hindu reported in April that an unnamed member of the committee had objected to the manner in which the report was compiled and had signed the final report under protest.

Watch: WFI's Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh reacts to sexual harassment charges: 'I prefer to die'

“None of the witness deposition was signed by either the witness or by the members of the committee. We did not cross-check or verify with any of the witnesses if their testimony was right or wrong. We only recorded what was said. There were individuals who had an incentive to speak in favour of one party,” the member told The Hindu. “I have mentioned in the report that no suggestions have been made which will either support or contradict what the athletes have said.”

The rather ad-hoc manner of investigation, the opacity of the findings and vague solution-findings show lack of intent, by the state and Central governments, at finding solutions or indeed getting involved. In India historically, public authorities have been unsure about how to deal with cases of sexual harassment, not always taking them seriously, and in many cases, just waiting for the subject to blow over.

That would have happened in this case as well, once the protests lost momentum in January at the formation of the six-member committee. But the wrestlers have remained committed and have returned right back onto the streets to demand justice and muster support. In a video message on her social media a few days ago, Vinesh apologized for stopping the protests prematurely, but said they had been cheated and if they didn’t get justice, young girls would leave the sport.

The WFI case draws parallels with the Larry Nassar scandal in the US. The doctor who treated Olympic gymnasts was also part of the biggest sexual abuse case in sport. His victims over decades included some of the most famous names in sport, including Simone Biles, and more than 150 people made statements against him when he went up for trial. Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.

The Nassar case brought to light how systematic abuse, in any sport or country, can be brushed under the carpet. Victims are always in danger of being ostracized if they speak out, and dropped from teams. Officials are protected by associations for the fear of getting a bad reputation, losing out sponsors and government funding. Nobody wants to get involved in messy situations that need to be dealt with with courage and sensitivity.

Punia, while seeking the Prime Minister’s intervention, has said, “When players win medals, you stand with them. When they are on the road, then you are silent.” If dealt with swiftly and justly, this case could well set the precedent for the future, in protecting young athletes across all disciplines and giving courage to the others to speak up.