Challenging the appointment of the three-member ad-hoc committee led by Wushu Association of India chief Bhupinder Singh Bajwa to monitor the day-to-day functioning of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Sanjay Singh, the president of the suspended WFI said they do not recognize the ad-hoc committee and will soon organize the national championships on their own.
Singh, a close confidante of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was voted to the president’s post, along with other office-bearers during the WFI polls but the new body was later suspended by the sports ministry, noting that the ‘newly elected body appears to be in complete control of former office bearers’.
Singh, however, claimed that the new body was democratically elected, and as such they don’t recognize the ad-hoc panel.
“We do not recognize the suspension. We were elected democratically, and so there’s no question of recognizing the ad-hoc committee,” Singh had reportedly said.
While the panel had announced that the national championships could tentatively be held in Jaipur from February 2 to 5, it also announced its intention to hold the national wrestling camps for men and women in Sonipat and Patiala, respectively from February 9.
“Following the conclusion of the Senior National Championships, the National Coaching Camp (NCC) will be conducted. The men’s camp (Greco-Roman and free-style) will be stationed at SAI NRC Sonipat, while the women’s camp will be held at SAI NSNIS, Patiala,” the ad-hoc committee said.
A combative Singh however, refused to recognize the ad-hoc committee’s decision, saying, “How can an ad-hoc panel organize the national championships when there’s an elected body in the WFI? We will organize our National championships soon.”
Several top wrestlers had protested against the election of Singh, due to his close proximity with Brij Bhushan, against whom they had leveled accusations of sexual misconduct of female wrestlers.
Hours after being elected the new WFI president, Singh had abruptly announced the conduct of age-group level national championships before the sports ministry intervened and suspended the newly-elected body citing violation of rules in announcing the nationals.
Wrestler Sakshi Malik had quit wrestling in protest of Sanjay Singh’s election, and a couple of days later Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia had returned his Padma Shri award. Vinesh Phogat, the third prominent face of the wrestlers’ protest, also joined the queue in returning her Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards.