Courtesy: X
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) withdrew the Indian team from the upcoming World Wrestling Championship, while stating to the United World Wrestling (UWW) in a letter that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) is interfering with their day to day operations. The World Wrestling Championship is set to happen from October 28 onwards in Tiran, Albania, in 12 non-Olympic categories, but there won’t be any Indian wrestler competing in it.
Notably, the WFI had begun proceedings recently to conduct a selection trials for the U23 and senior World Wrestling Championship, but it was challenged by the protesting wrestlers as contempt of court, while questioning the legality of the selection by the federation. It led to the WFI withdrawing the selection trials notice, following which the court didn’t proceed with the contempt petition, as per the report from the Indian Express.
Satyawart Kadian, the husband of Sakshi Malik, approached the court about charging WFI with contempt of court
The WFI source revealed how the wrestlers went to court to have the wrestling body charged with contempt of court, and told about the matter to PTI, “Satyawart Kadian, the husband of Sakshi Malik, approached the court recently saying that the WFI should be charged with contempt of court. We won’t be able to send the Indian team for the World Championship now, we have conveyed this to the UWW.”
“This is all happening because of the ministry’s suspension. There are no grounds to keep the suspension. If the ministry lifts the suspension, all these issues won’t crop up. It’s just pathetic that wrestlers have to suffer because of a few wrestlers and the ministry is not lifting the suspension,” the source further added.
The differences between WFI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) since the former was suspended by the Indian government in December 2023, allowing the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to manage its affairs via an ad-hoc committee. But in March of this year, the IOA dissolved the ad-hoc committee after UWW lifted its own ban on WFI a month prior.
But despite that, according to Sanjay Singh, the President of WFI, the sports ministry interferes in their affairs, which he wrote about, in a letter to UWW President Nenad Lalovic. He remarked, “Unfortunately, the MYAS (ministry) continues to interfere in the autonomy of the WFI. The MYAS has ordered on 24th December 2023 to the WFI to cease and desist from discharging the day to day administration of WFI and had directed the Indian Olympic Association (NOC of India) to make an Ad-Hoc Committee for governance of WFI.”
