Indore: According to WFI President Sanjay Singh, India can win four or five medals in women’s wrestling at the 2028 Olympics, but for that to occur, “a couple of institutions” must cease meddling with the national federation’s day-to-day operations. The World Wrestling Federation (UWW) lifted the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in February after its election, but the Sports Ministry has continued to suspend the WFI. On December 24, three days after holding elections and electing Sanjay Singh as the new President, the ministry banned WFI.
Following WFI’s statement, hours after the election, that it would be holding U-15 and U-20 Nationals, the Ministry took action. According to the Ministry, the notification was made in violation of the regulations since players needed to have 15 days’ notice to prepare. According to WFI, if the young wrestlers had waited 15 days, the 2023 season would have already concluded, meaning they would have lost a year.
IOA had established an ad hoc panel to oversee the federation upon request from the government, however, the body has since been dissolved. The ministry hasn’t yet lifted the suspension, though. Two days have passed since the WFI President made his statement, following an incredible performance by the Indian U17 women’s team in Amman that saw five of its wrestlers win world titles in addition to two silver and two bronze.
Vinesh Phogat was also pushed by Sanjay Singh to reevaluate her choice to retire. After failing to secure a medal in the Olympics in Paris, Vinesh declared her retirement from competitive athletics. After gaining 100 grams of weight before the women’s 50kg final, she was eliminated.
“Vinesh Phogat should think twice before retiring if she must compete in pure wrestling since she will serve as an inspiration to the next female wrestlers. “The way she is sharing a political platform nowadays if she has to do politics (in the future), then she should not do politics in wrestling.” Singh declined to comment on rumors that Phogat would enter politics, citing the 30-year-old wrestler’s personal affairs. He declared that if Phogat decides to go back into competitive wrestling, he will be there for her.
Singh added that the WFI has learned a “very big lesson” from the country’s wrestlers’ 2023 movement. In response to allegations of sexual harassment, an agitation was started against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the WFI at the time.
“We anticipated that Indian wrestlers would take home six medals from the Paris Olympics, but due to an anti-national conspiracy, wrestling was suspended for eighteen months.” This movement prevented the nation from winning more than one medal in the Olympics,” he stated.
Politics and wrestling should remain apart, in my opinion. I don’t want to point fingers, but politics being involved in wrestling is what led to this unfortunate outcome for the sport at the Olympics in Paris,” he stated. The sacred city of Madhya Pradesh, Ujjain, is where WFI is thinking of putting up a wrestling academy, he added. The president of the state wrestling organization is the state chief minister, Mohan Yadav.