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 WFI’s affairs. The WFI expressed concerns that this ‘interference’ could potentially hinder the participation of Indian wrestlers in upcoming World Championships.
The High Court’s order came in response to a plea filed by renowned wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and her husband Satyawart Kadian. They sought to halt the WFI’s activities as the national federation for the sport, alleging irregularities in its operations. Justice Sachin Datta, in his interim order, directed the IOA to reconstitute the committee previously led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa.
The IOA had dissolved the ad-hoc panel on April 4th, following the lifting of the WFI’s suspension by the United World Wrestling (UWW) on February 13th, 2023. The WFI had conducted elections and subsequently had its suspension lifted. However, the UWW had previously warned against outside interference in the federation’s affairs, expressing concerns that such actions could negatively impact athletes.
WFI President Sanjay Singh, in a statement to PTI, emphasized their plan to challenge the court’s decision: “We are going to take it to double bench. The IOA had dissolved the ad-hoc panel. We will also approach the world governing body UWW and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They had warned that outside interference may impact our athletes.” Singh expressed fears that Indian wrestlers’ participation in two upcoming World Championships could be jeopardized. The U-17 World Championship is scheduled for Amman, Jordan, from August 19th to 25th, while the U-20 World Championship will take place in Pontevedra, Spain, from September 2nd to 8th.
In a letter dated April 25th addressed to the WFI President, UWW President Nenad Lalovic firmly reiterated their stance against an ad-hoc panel managing the federation. Lalovic warned of potential consequences for the WFI, including the re-imposition of a temporary suspension if outside entities were allowed to interfere in the federation’s operations: “In case any decision or order should be made against your federation, and a third party be designated to run the daily affairs of our sport in India in violation of the UWW Statutes, UWW would have no other option than to re-impose a temporary suspension of your federation until further notice, and which, this time, could maybe include your athletes.”
The current situation stems from events that transpired in December 2023. On December 24th, the Centre suspended the WFI, three days after the election of new office bearers. The suspension was due to alleged violations of the WFI’s own constitution during decision-making processes. The Centre requested the IOA to establish an ad-hoc committee to manage the federation’s affairs. Subsequently, on March 4th, the court issued notices to the central government, WFI, and the ad-hoc committee regarding the petition filed by the prominent wrestlers.
The WFI’s challenge to the High Court’s order is expected to further complicate the ongoing saga surrounding the federation, with the potential consequences extending to the participation of Indian wrestlers in major international competitions.
