Sports Ministry asks IOA to form ad-hoc committee to run WFI

The Centre will always take decisions in the best interest of sportspersons, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Dec 22

The Union Ministry of Sports on December 24 asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to create an ad-hoc committee to manage and control the affairs of the Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI).

The development came shortly after the sports ministry announced the suspension of the WFI, citing the newly elected wrestling body's "hasty announcement" of organising Under-15 and Under-20 national trials "without giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" to prepare.

The sports ministry has requested the IOA to temporarily take over the operations of WFI as wrestling sportspersons "should not suffer" and "principles of good governance should not be jeopardised", CNBC TV-18 reported.

Notably, the WFI elections were held on December 21 with former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s loyalist Sanjay Singh and his panel winning the polls by big margins.

"The new body has not followed the WFI constitution. We have not terminated the Federation but suspended till further orders. They just need to follow the due process and the rules,” a sports ministry official told PTI. The source further explained the reasons for suspension.

"Sanjay Kumar Singh, newly-elected president of WFI announced on 21.12.2023, the day he was elected as president, that U-15 and U-20 nationals for Wrestling will take place in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) before the end of this year.

"This announcement is hasty, without giving sufficient notice to wrestlers who are to take part in the said nationals and without following the provisions of the constitution of WFI. ”

The development comes in the aftermath of Sakshi Malik, one of the country's top female wrestlers and Olympic medallist, announcing her decision to "quit wrestling" to protest against the election of Sanjay Singh as the WFI chief. This was followed by wrestler and Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia "returning" his Padma Shri on December 22 to mark his angst against the election of Brij Bhushan's aide as the WFI chief.

A number of wrestlers, including Punia, Malik, and World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat have accused Brij Bhushan of sexually harassing female wrestlers during his tenure as the WFI chief. The case is being heard in the Delhi High Court.

The official privy to the sports ministry's WFI suspension order told PTI that the newly elected wrestling body was being allegedly operated from the premises of Brij Bhushan. The WFI "appears to be (in) complete control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code".

This is "also the alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and (at) present the court in hearing the matter", the source added.

Brij Bhushan, while responding to media queries over the suspension of WFI, said he is "done" with wrestling.

"Whatever has to be done with regards to wrestling in India, it has to be done by the new elected body...I have nothing to do with the sport now. I have other responsibilities to focus now. I will be away from the politics of this sport," he said.

With PTI inputs