Page 4 - Wrestling

Drama at wrestling trials: Vinesh does not let bouts start in 2 categories

Keen to ensure that she remains in reckoning for the Paris Games, star wrestler Vinesh Phogat did not let selection trials start in the women's 50kg and 53kg categories and demanded a written assurance from the authorities that a final trial will be held in the 53kg weight class before the Olympics. Vinesh, who had accused former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and led a prolonged protest against the BJP MP, turned up at the SAI centre to compete in the 50kg trials. The 29-year-old used to compete in 53kg before the protest but has lowered her weight class since Antim Panghal has already earned an Olympic quota in that category. However, Vinesh did not let the competition start and demanded a written assurance. She also sought permission to compete in both 50kg and 53kg trials on Monday, leading to a bizarre situation. The officials went into discussions. The wrestlers who are to compete in the 50kg weight class were complaining to the officials. "We

WFI to withdraw circular on conducting trials for upcoming events, HC told

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which has been placed under suspension by the Centre, told the Delhi High Court on Thursday it will withdraw its circular on conducting selection trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Wrestling Tournament. Taking note of the statement made by WFI's counsel, Justice Sachin Datta said the trials shall proceed as per the circular issued by the ad-hoc committee supervising the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India. The ad-hoc committee of the WFI had issued a press release on February 9 saying it will hold the trials for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers (April 19-21) and World Olympic Qualifiers (May 9-12) on March 10 and 11 at Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala and Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex in Sonipat. The Indian Olympic Association had on December 27 constituted a three-member ad hoc committee to run the day-to-day affairs of the WFI after the Union Sports ..

Selection trials: Bajrang Punia, others wrestlers move Delhi HC against WFI

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vines Phogat and Satyawrat Kadiyan have moved the Delhi High Court against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) decision to conduct selection trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Wrestling Tournament.The plea stated that the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is conducting selection trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Wrestling Tournament notified through its circular dated February 26, 2024, against the directives of the Ad-Hoc Committee for Wrestling Federation of India by Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.The petitioners claim that they, along with numerous other athletes, have been selectively targeted and harassed by WFI for being evidently vocal, outspoken and critical of WFI's blatant illegalities and corrupt malpractices including but not limited to allegations of sexual ...

Will personally invite Bajrang, Vinesh, Sakshi for trials: Sanjay Singh

WFI President Sanjay Singh on Friday assured that the protesting wrestlers' trio of Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik would not face any discrimination and he would personally approach them for appearance in the Olympic Qualifiers trials, which will be held in Maharashtra. World governing body UWW had lifted the provisional suspension imposed on the WFI with a rider that no wrestler should face discrimination. Punia, Phogat and Malik had led a protest against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they have accused of sexual exploitation of women wrestlers. The elite wresters are also against Sanjay Singh's election as WFI chief, saying that he is a Brij Bhushan loyalist and his election is a threat to women wrestlers. "We have started planning to take Indian wrestling forward. We will soon organise trials for the Olympic Qualifying events in Maharashtra. The state has good infrastructure. I will ask Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi to forget everything and start

Wrestler Bajrang Punia urges world body to reimpose suspension on WFI

Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia on Thursday urged world governing body UWW to reimpose suspension on Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), saying reinstating the Sanjay Singh-led body has again put wrestlers under "threat and harassment". The United World Wrestling (UWW) on Tuesday lifted the provisional suspension imposed on WFI but with a condition: the national federation must provide written guarantees ensuring no discriminatory action against the protesting trio - Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat. "This decision has again put Indian wrestlers under threat and harassment by WFI members," Punia wrote in his letter, shared on his social media handle 'X'. UWW had suspended WFI in August 23 for not holding elections on time. After numerous hurdles, WFI finally held its polls and Sanjay Singh was elected President. "We wrestlers request you kindly support Indian athletes against unfair practices and harassment through various means. Indian wrestlers are looking up to you for ..

UWW lifts suspension on WFI, asks not to discriminate against protestors

Wrestling's world governing body on Tuesday lifted the provisional suspension on India but directed the national federation to provide written guarantees that there would be no discriminatory action against the protesting trio of Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik. The suspension was imposed by United World Wrestling (UWW) on August 23 last year after the national federation failed to hold elections in time. "The UWW Bureau met on February 9 to review the suspension among other topics and considering all the elements and information, it decided to lift the suspension," the world body said in a statement. "The WFI has to immediately provide UWW with written guarantees that all wrestlers will be considered for participation without any discrimination in all WFI events, in particular trials for the Olympic Games and any other major national and international events. "This non-discrimination includes the three athletes who protested against alleged wrongdoings by the former

National Wrestling Championships: Vinesh Phogat clinches 55kg category gold

Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat clinched the 55kg gold medal in the Senior National Wrestling Championships being organised by the IOA-constituted ad-hoc committee, here on Sunday. Vinesh showcased her experience by defeating her opponent from Madhya Pradesh Jyoti 4-0 despite the ace grappler competing in a higher weight category. The 29-year-old Vinesh, representing Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), had won the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games gold in 50kg category, while her title triumph at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games had come in the 53kg category. In another keen contest, 2021 World Championship silver medallist, Haryana's Anshu Malik defeated 2020 Asian Championship gold medallist Sarita Mor (Railways) 8-3 in the 59kg category. Haryana women dominated the proceedings, taking the top spot with 189 points and narrowly pushing powerhouse RSPB to second spot with 187 points. Pondicherry were a distant third with 81 points. In the men's greco-roman section, RSPB .

Nationals organised by suspended WFI have no value: Sakshi, Vinesh

Top Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat hit out at the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday, saying the national championships organised by them in Pune had "no value" and the certificates handed out were "fake". The affairs of wrestling sport are being run by the Indian Olympic Association-constituted ad-hoc body, while the newly-elected WFI, led by Sanjay Singh, has been suspended by the sports ministry for violating its own constitution. The suspended WFI, despite being warned of legal action by the ministry for organising the 'nationals', went ahead with the tournament in Pune from January 29-31. The IOA ad-hoc committee is also organising the national championships here in Jaipur from February 2-5, and Sakshi said on the sidelines of the tournament that the suspended WFI is just trying to show off its strength by organising the 'nationals' in Pune. "They (WFI) have just conducted a parallel national championship and distributed fake certificate

Around 700 wrestlers to compete in senior nationals in Pune: WFI President

Around 700 grapplers, representing all affiliated state units except Punjab and Odisha, will participate in the Senior National Championship in Pune from Monday, the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) said on Saturday. The national body was suspended by the Sports Ministry on December 24, just three days after it held its election for violating its own constitution after it announced to host the 2023 age group nationals in Gonda, UP in last week of December. The Sports Ministry had said that the Nationals organised by WFI will not recognised. However, WFI remains defiant. "The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is organising its 2023 Senior National Wrestling Championship in Free Style, Greco Roman & Women Wrestling. The Championship is being organised by the Maharashtra Rajya Kushtigiri Sangh at Pune from 29th to 31st January 2024," said WFI president Sanjay Singh in a statement. "Around 700 Wrestlers across the country are participating in this mega event. All ...

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Ad-hoc committee of WFI announces U20, U15 championships in Gwalior

The Ad-Hoc Committee for Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) announced on Saturday that U20 and U15 freestyle, greco-roman and women's national wrestling championships will be held in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh from February 11-17 this year. Around 1,200 wrestlers will be participating in the championships."The event is scheduled to take place at the prestigious Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education on Racecourse Road, LNUPE Campus, Shakti Nagar, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 474002. The championships will run from the 11th to the 17th of February 2024. Around 1200 Wrestlers & 300 Officials will part in the competitions," said a statement from the ad-hoc committee, which was formed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on instructions from the Union Minitry of Youth Affairs and Sports.This marquee event is set to showcase the incredible talent and prowess of young wrestling enthusiasts from across the nation. Athletes in the Under-20 (U20) and Under-15 (U15) age ...

WFI to seek suspension revocation through dialogue, legal challenge on hold

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Tuesday decided that it will seek a dialogue with the Sports Ministry for revocation of its suspension, saying it does not want a clash with the government and the legal options will be explored only if talks fail. The WFI had earlier said it will knock the doors of judiciary to get the suspension revoked but changed the mind at its Executive Council (EC) meeting which was chaired by President Sanjay Singh and attended by 12 other elected members. Secretary General Prem Chand Lochab and Senior Vice President Devender Kadian skipped the meet. "We do not want a clash with the government. We are not moving court as of today. We will seek time from the ministry and a delegation will try and speak with the government," Sanjay Singh told PTI after the meeting. Asked if he won't get time from the ministry he said,"First we have to try. We want to know what we need to do to get the suspension lifted. Like UWW had set certain conditions when it had

Sanjay Singh claims unknown caller threatened to kill him, Brij Bhushan

Police have registered a case after an unidentified person allegedly issued a death threat to the president of the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Sanjay Singh, and his predecessor and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over the phone, an official said on Sunday. A complaint was received from Sanjay Singh that on January 13, a person had called from an unidentified number and threatened to kill them, SHO of Bhelupur police station Vijay Kumar Shukla told PTI. A case has been registered under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the IPC, he said. According to the police, Sanjay Singh has said in his complaint that on the night of January 12, someone had called twice on his mobile phone from an unfamiliar number but he did not pick up. On January 13, calls started coming again from the same number. The third time he received the call following which the caller abused

Sports ministry says it won't recognise events organised by suspended WFI

The Sports Ministry on Sunday said the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has no authority to conduct the Senior National Championships and any event staged by the body will be considered "unsanctioned" and "unrecognised". Three days after the WFI held its polls last month, the Ministry had suspended the sports body citing several violations of rules and then the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a three-member ad-hoc panel to manage the federation's day-to-day affairs. However, a defiant Sanjay Singh, President of the suspended WFI, said that they will soon organise the national championships and insisted that they neither recognise the suspension of the newly-elected body nor the ad-hoc panel. "It has come to the notice of the Ministry that you have issued a Circular bearing No. WFI/Senior National/Maharashtra/2024 dated 06.01.2024 on the letterhead of the Wrestling Federation of India regarding conduct of Senior National Wrestling Championship 2023 at Pune ...

IOA cannot exercise control over WFI, UWW should lift ban: WFI chief

The WFI has reminded United World Wrestling that as per the international body's rules and the IOC charter, the Indian Olympic Association "cannot exercise any control" on the newly-elected body, and asked the UWW to immediately lift the provisional suspension it imposed in August last year. The newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India chief Sanjay Singh, whose body was suspended by the sports ministry three days after it came to power and an IOA ad-hoc panel was re-instituted to run the sport, in his letter to UWW president Nenad Lalovic has also said that any influence by the IOA in wrestling should be deemed "illegal" by UWW. "Pursuant to the election, the newly-elected body has taken charge of the WFI and is managing its affairs, and we await the lifting of the provisional suspension imposed by the UWW," said Sanjay Singh in his letter to Lalovic on Friday, a copy of which is with PTI. "We understand that we continue to be an affiliated member of the UWW. However, there is a

WFI to challenge its suspension next week, calls EC meeting on Jan 16

A defiant Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will challenge its suspension by the Sports Ministry in court next week and has also called for an Executive Committee meeting here on January 16 to discuss the way forward. Citing violation of the National Sports Code and the WFI constitution, the government had suspended the newly-elected body on December 24, three days after the Federation conducted its election. The WFI has maintained that it neither accepts the suspension nor does it recognise the ad-hoc panel that has been constituted by the IOA to manage the day-to-day affairs of the sport. "We need a properly functioning Federation. We are taking the matter to the court next week. This suspension is not acceptable to us because we were elected democratically. We have also called the Executive Committee meeting on January 16," WFI President Sanjay Singh told PTI. Singh, who hails from Varanasi, reasoned how the ad-hoc panel was not equipped to deliver in crunch time. "You have s

Post junior wrestlers' protest, ad-hoc panel announces U-15, U-20 Nationals

The ad-hoc panel, managing wrestling affairs in the country, on Wednesday announced organisation of U15 and U20 National championships within six weeks, hours after junior wrestlers held a protest at Jantar Mantar and demanded dissolution of the IOA-constituted committee. The panel "acknowledged the concerns" of the young wrestlers who have been hit hard by the year-long protests by top India grapplers. Wrestling activities in the country have been hit hard following protests by the country's top three grapplers -- Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat -- against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Neither the National camps nor the junior nationals have been held since January 2023. Hundreds of junior wrestlers lost one full year due to the stalemate. Bhupender Singh Bajwa, chairman of the three-member panel, assured the junior wrestlers that he would soon organise the sub junior and junior Nationals in Gwalior. "The (ad-hoc) committee acknowledges the concerns r

Newly-elected WFI without Sanjay Singh is acceptable to us: Sakshi Malik

Sakshi Malik on Wednesday insisted that she has no issues with the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India if Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh is kept away from the body. Malik had announced her retirement from the sport on December 21 in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh as WFI President. The 2016 Rio Olympic Games bronze medallist also claimed that her mother has been receiving threat calls from former WFI chief Brij Bhushan's supporters. Malik, 31, said they will accept a WFI without Sanjay Singh but ruled out her own involvement in running of the federation. "We don't have any issues with the new federation except one man, Sanjay Singh. We don't have any issue if the new body comes back without Sanjay Singh. We do not have any issue with the ad-hoc committee as well," Malik told reporters. "The government is like parents for us and I would request them to make wrestling safe for the upcoming wrestlers. You have seen how Sanjay Singh has been behav

Hundreds of junior wrestlers protest against Bajrang, Sakshi and Vinesh

The ongoing crisis in Indian wrestling took a fresh twist on Wednesday when hundreds of junior wrestlers assembled at Jantar Mantar here to protest against the loss of one crucial year of their careers, a situation for which they blamed top grapplers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat. Loaded in buses, the junior wrestlers arrived from different parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi, catching the police unaware. Close to 300 of them came from Arya Samaj Akhara in Chhaprauli, Baghpat while many others came from the Virender Wrestling Academy in Narela. Many are still packed in buses and they plan to deboard and join their colleagues when more wrestlers arrive at the landmark protest site. The security personnel struggled to control them as they shouted slogans against Punia, Malik and Phogat. The protesters were carrying banners that read: 'UWW save our wrestling from these 3 wrestlers'. Ironically, almost a year back at the same protest site, the top three wrestlers

Wrestlers seek UWW intervention in resolving wrestling crisis in India

Several international medal-winning wrestlers from different states have approached the world governing body UWW, requesting its intervention for restoration of the suspended WFI and accused Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik of orchestrating a "fake agitation". The three wrestlers had led a protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleging that he has sexually exploited women wrestlers and sought his arrest. The matter is being heard by a Delhi court and Brij Bhushan is out on bail. The National camps have not been held for a long time due to the ongoing tussle between the elite wrestlers and the BJP MP. An ad-hoc panel ran the sport till recently but was brought back to handle day-to-day affairs of the sports body after the newly-elected body was suspended by the Sports Ministry. "I would like to inform you that due to fake agitation of three wrestlers, the wrestling in India has been destroyed. I am a woman wrestler but I did not face any sexual dem