Sports Ministry Suspends WFI Over President Election Controversy, Malik's Retirement

New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been suspended by the Sports Ministry following the election of Sanjay Singh, a close aide of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the president of the federation. This decision comes in the aftermath of Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik's retirement from wrestling, which she announced in protest of Singh's election.

According to PTI sources, the newly elected president, Sanjay Singh, announced the organization of Under-15 and Under-20 national wrestling championships in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP), without proper adherence to the WFI constitution. The source mentioned that the announcement was made hastily, lacking sufficient notice to participating wrestlers and violating the provisions outlined in the WFI constitution.

The suspension comes amid controversy surrounding Singh's election and Olympic-medal winner Sakshi Malik's subsequent retirement from wrestling. In a press conference, Malik expressed her dissatisfaction with Singh's election, citing her earlier protests against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who had faced accusations of sexual harassment by several star wrestlers.

Sakshi Malik, in a tweet, questioned the choice of Gonda as the venue for the national championships, considering it to be the area of Brij Bhushan. The suspension of the WFI raises concerns about the fate of junior women wrestlers scheduled to participate in the upcoming championships.

Brij Bhushan had defended the decision to organize the championships in Gonda, citing the need to resume national and state-level wrestling events after an 11-month hiatus. However, this move has been met with criticism and further fueled the controversy surrounding the wrestling federation.

Following Sanjay Singh's election, renowned wrestler Bajrang Punia, who played a prominent role in the earlier protests, declared his intention to return his Padma Shri award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in protest. "I am returning my Padma Shri award to the Prime Minister," he wrote on X. The situation remains tense, with the future of wrestling events in India hanging in the balance.