WFI suspended! Here's why global wrestling body revoked India's membership

The global wrestling body, United World Wrestling (UWW), suspended the membership of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) over its failure to conduct elections. 

This means Indian grapplers will not compete at the World Championships in Belgrade under the Indian flag.

The Indian wrestlers will have to compete as 'neutral athletes' at the Olympic-qualifying World Championships, starting September 16.

The UWW decided to suspend the WFI as the ad-hoc panel, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, did not honour the 45-day deadline for conducting the elections.

The IOA had appointed the ad-hoc panel on April 27 and was supposed to hold elections within 45 days.

On April 28, the global Wrestling body warned WFI that it could suspend the Indian federation if the deadline to hold elections is not honoured.

"The UWW communicated to the ad-hoc panel on Wednesday night that WFI has been suspended for not holding elections to its executive committee," news agency PTI reported, quoting an Indian Olympic Association (IOA) source.

Why WFI elections didn't take place?

Originally, the WFI was to hold elections on May 7, but the Sports Ministry declared the process null and void after star Indian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik renewed their protest against outgoing WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Then, IOA appointed an ad-hoc panel to take care of WFI's day-to-day affairs and conduct elections in due course.

Despite the ad-hoc panel's effort, the WFI elections have been delayed many times with multiple disgruntled and disaffiliated state bodies moving the court, seeking the right to participate in the polls.

On August 11, a day before the scheduled WFI elections, Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the much-anticipated Wrestling Federation of India elections slated till further orders following a petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA).

Why Haryana Wrestling Association filed a petition in High Court?

The order came following a petition filed by the HWA, challenging the move to allow Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to cast votes in the WFI polls.

Advocate Ravinder Malik, representing Haryana Wrestling Association which is headed by Member of Parliament Deepinder Hooda, said the HWA is a registered society in the state and is affiliated to the WFI.

 

As per rules and the constitution of the WFI, any registered affiliated body can send two representatives to cast their votes for the WFI polls, he stated.

The HWA advocate said that one more body, Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association has claimed that it was affiliated with the WFI as well as Haryana Olympic Association.

Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association further claimed that the HWA has no business to participate in the election process because it is not affiliated with the WFI.

Haryana Wrestling Association vs Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association

"The returning officer has given the finding in favour of Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association, saying they fulfil the condition of affiliation with WFI as well as Haryana Olympic Association," said the advocate.

"We have challenged the returning officer's order in the HC, saying that the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association may be affiliated with the WFI but it is not affiliated with the HOA, meaning they are not entitled to participate in the poll process," said Malik, representing HWA.

"In case, Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association is allowed to participate in the election process, then it will cause prejudice as well as the WFI elections will be illegal," he said.

The court has taken note of it and said lest it should cause prejudice to anybody, prima facie, it seems Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association is not eligible to cast votes.

The court of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj of the HC has stayed the elections of the WFI.