The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced its intention to challenge a recent Delhi High Court order that reinstated the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of the WFI. WFI president Sanjay Singh expressed serious concerns about the potential impact of this “interference” on Indian wrestlers’ participation in upcoming World Championships. He specifically cited warnings from the United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s governing body, that external interference could lead to severe consequences.
The court order was issued in response to a plea filed by prominent wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and her husband Satyawart Kadian. These athletes had sought a stay on WFI’s functioning and a halt to any activities undertaken by the federation. Justice Sachin Datta, while passing the interim order, gave the IOA the option to re-constitute the committee previously led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa.
The IOA had initially dissolved the ad-hoc panel in April after WFI conducted its elections and the UWW lifted its suspension on February 13th of this year. However, the court’s ruling has reignited the controversy.
WFI president Sanjay Singh stated that the organization will appeal the decision to a double bench and will also approach the UWW and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He highlighted the potential for Indian wrestlers’ participation in upcoming World Championships to be blocked. Two major tournaments, the U-17 World Championship in Amman, Jordan (August 19-25) and the U-20 World Championship in Pontevedra, Spain (September 2-8), are scheduled in the coming months.
The UWW president, Nenad Lalovic, had clearly communicated in a letter to the WFI president on April 25th that the ad-hoc panel overseeing WFI operations was unacceptable to the international governing body. He warned that any decision to circumvent the federation’s authority and involve a third party in the management of wrestling in India would trigger a temporary suspension of the federation, potentially impacting the participation of Indian athletes.
This situation stems from the Centre’s decision on December 24, 2023, to suspend the WFI following allegations of the federation’s failure to adhere to its own constitution. The suspension was implemented three days after WFI elected new office bearers. The government requested the IOA to establish an ad-hoc committee to manage WFI affairs.
The court had issued notices to the central government, WFI, and the ad-hoc committee on March 4th in response to the petition filed by the top grapplers.
The outcome of the WFI’s appeal and the subsequent actions of the UWW and IOC will have significant implications for the future of Indian wrestling and its participation in international competitions.
