WFI crisis deepens: IOA urged to take control

Sports Ministry requests IOA to constitute ad-hoc committee to manage WFI affairs

Soon after suspending the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India, the Sports Ministry on Sunday asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute an ad-hoc body to control and manage the affairs of WFI.

The ministry on Sunday suspended the WFI until further orders after the newly-elected body made a "hasty announcement" of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals "without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" for preparations.

The ministry has written to the IOA to form the panel at the earliest.

"... Taking note of the compelling current situation arising out of the influence and control of the WFI's former office bearers, serious concerns have arisen about the governance and integrity of the WFI," said the letter signed by Tarun Pareek, under secretary to the Government of India.

"This requires for immediate and stringent corrective measures to uphold the principles of good governance in sports organizations, and thus, now it becomes incumbent on part of the IOA to to make suitable arrangements for the interim for managing the affairs of WFI so that sportspersons of wrestling discipline do not suffer in any manner and the principle of good governance in the sports body do not get jeopradised," he said in the letter addressed to IOA President PT Usha.

The WFI elections were held on December 21 with former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's loyalist, Sanjay Singh, and his panel winning the polls by big margins.

Before the elections were held, the WFI was run by an ad-hoc body formed by the IOA after former president Brij Bhushan stepped aside. Bhupender Singh Bajwa, who doubled up as the president of the Wushu Federation of India, was then the chief of the ad-hoc body.

Top wrestler Bajrang Punia, who along with Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, had led the agitation against Brij Bhushan had returned his Padma Shri award to the government on Friday in protest over Sanjay Singh becoming WFI President.

This came a day after Sakshi Malik quit wrestling for the same reason.