WFI has decided to withdraw the Indian team from the Senior World Wrestling Championship scheduled to take place in Tirana, Albania from October 28. Reason for this was because a fight was going on with the MYAS. WFI writes to UWW, the international governing body for the sport, that ministry is encroaching into its autonomy.
Informs IANS a source in the know about the situation, "We cannot send our team because of the suspension that was imposed by the ministry last year. Also, there are a few Contempt of Court cases against WFI that have been challenged in Supreme Court.".
The crux of the issue revolves around the suspension of WFI by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 24 December, 2023 when newly elected officials were formed within the federation. Since then, WFI has been really shrouded in uncertainty.
With as many as 12 non-Olympic categories in this year's World Championship, the prospects looked quite bright for Indian wrestlers. But things started going haywire when the latest announcement from the WFI over selection trials for the Under-23 as well as the World Championships faced legal sets back after certain agitated athletes raised a hue and cry.
Top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik came out to raise objections over the legality of the selection trials conducted by the suspended WFI.
WFI President Sanjay Singh lamented in a letter to UWW President Nenad Lalovic, writing: "Unfortunately, MYAS continues to intrude into WFI's independence." He underlined that the situation was compounded by the directive issued by the ministry to the Indian Olympic Association to constitute an ad-hoc committee to govern the federation.
March concluded the dismantling of ad-hoc committee by IOA, but the WFI ban that had been lifted by UWW in February, yet the suspension order itself continues to thwart the moves forward. On legal grounds, both WFI and MYAS are ensnarled in an ongoing battle since the court has ruled that the operations of the federation should be managed by the ad-hoc committee until the suspension order is revoked, however, IOA still refuses to admit that it cannot reinstate the panel.
WFI demanded that UWW invoke Article 6.3 of its regulations, which prevents the influence of politics and governments on national federations. WFI called UWW to take appropriate measures and further elevated this case to IOC for more intervention.
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