‘Will Suspend WFI If…’: Global Sports Body Slams Arrest Of Wrestlers, Seeks Election Details From IOA
United World Wrestling (UWW) on Tuesday condemned the detention of protesting wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia.
The UWW, the wrestling world body, issued a statement expressing “great concern over the situation in India where wrestlers are protesting over allegations of abuse and harassment by the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)”.
Notably, eminent wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malik, Bajrang Punia, and others have been demanding WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s arrest, accusing him of sexually harassing young talents.
Expressing its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations so far, the international governing body for the sport demanded WFI elections in the next 45 days.
The global sports body said, “UWW will request further information about the next elective general assembly from the IOA and the Ad-hoc Committee of the WFI. The 45-day deadline that was initially set to hold this elective assembly shall be respected.”
“Failing to do so may lead UWW to suspend the federation, thereby forcing the athletes to compete under a neutral flag,” it said.
UWW said that it will hold a meeting with the wrestlers to inquire about their condition and safety and reconfirm their support “for a fair and just resolution of their concerns.”
On Sunday, Delhi Police detained Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, another Olympic medalist and bronze winner at the World Championships. Subsequently, FIRs were filed against the wrestlers for violating law and order.
Disturbing scenes unfolded as police forcibly removed the Olympic and world championships medal-winning athletes when they breached the security cordon during their march toward the newly inaugurated Parliament building for the planned women’s ‘Mahapanchayat’.
Denied permission to proceed toward the new Parliament building, tensions escalated, resulting in clashes between the protesters and police. The wrestlers and their supporters were taken to various locations in the national capital before being released. Later, the police cleared the protest site, removing the cots, mattresses, coolers, fans, and tarpaulin ceiling, along with other belongings belonging to the wrestlers.
