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After the Wrestling Federation of India was suspended for the second time in 2023, the Indian Olympic Association is yet again set to form an ad hoc committee to oversee matters at the WFI. India Today has learned that the IOA – in the next 48 will form a new ad hoc committee on WFI. It will look after the day-to-day activities of WFI. The ad hoc committee will take over the administration of WFI.
The development comes after Sports Minister Anurag Thakur wrote to the IOA to form the ad-hoc committee. Notably, the WFI was governed by an ad-hoc committee earlier this year as well.
“Since Wrestling is an Olympic sport and WFI is an affiliate member of the Indian Olympic Association (IA) and taking note of the compelling current situation arising out of the influence and control of the WFI’s former office bearers, serious concerns have arisen about the governance and integrity of the WFI. This requires for immediate and stringent corrective measures to uphold the principles of good governance in sports organisations, and thus, now it becomes incumbent on the part of 10A to make suitable arrangements for the interim period for managing the affairs of WFI so that sportspersons of wrestling discipline do not suffer in any manner and the principle of good governance in the sports body do not get jeopardised,” the letter from the Sports Ministry to the IOA read.
“In view of the above, it is requested that an Ad-Hoc Committee may be constituted by the IOA to manage and control the affairs of WFI, as per the defined role of NSFs in the National Sports Development Code of India-2011, including the selection of athletes, making entries for the participation of sportspersons in international events, holding of sporting activities, etc. with immediate effect, until further orders,” it added.
The Sports Ministry suspended WFI on Sunday in a strongly worded statement on Sunday, December 24. The ministry argued that the newly elected board under the presidency of Sanjay Singh was still under the influence of former office bearers, who were suspended after allegations of sexual harassment.
WFI Suspension: Explained in 10 Points
The WFI saga has been running since early 2023 when several top wrestlers in the country stood up against former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers had revealed harrowing tales of harassment and intimidation after which the Indian Olympic Association and Sports Ministry suspended the then-existing board.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was sacked as the WFI president and after months of waiting, Sanjay Singh was elected as the new president. This did not sit right with the wrestlers, who alleged that Sanjay was Bri Bhushan’s business partner and his right hand man, and essentially nothing had changed at the WFI.
After former wrestler Sakshee Malikkh shed light on junior national level championships being held in Gonda from 28 December, the sports ministry put out a statement, saying that it was illegal for the WFI to hold the championship without a 15-day notice to the state federations. With the statement, the ministry suspended the existing body.
Top sources in the WFI camp however told India Today that they were not going to sit and watch and instead would move Delhi High Court to challenge the decision.
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