India Withdraws From World Wrestling Championship Amidst WFI-Ministry Conflict

New Delhi, Oct 24: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has pulled out the Indian team from the upcoming Senior World Wrestling Championship scheduled to be held in Tirana, Albania, from October 28. The withdrawal was prompted by an ongoing dispute with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), with the WFI accusing the ministry of interfering in its autonomy, according to a letter sent to United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body for the sport.

"We won't be able to 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," a source close to WFI told IANS.

The core issue lies in the ongoing suspension of the WFI by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The suspension was first imposed on December 24, 2023, following the election of new office-bearers in the federation. Since then, the WFI has been in a state of limbo.

This year’s World Championship, covering 12 non-Olympic categories, was expected to be a crucial event for the Indian wrestling team. However, the situation escalated when the WFI’s recent announcement of selection trials for the Under-23 and World Championships was challenged in court by protesting wrestlers.

The athletes, including prominent names like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, questioned the legitimacy of the trials conducted by the suspended WFI.

In a formal letter addressed to UWW President Nenad Lalovic, WFI President Sanjay Singh expressed frustration with the situation, stating, "Unfortunately, MYAS continues to interfere with WFI’s autonomy." He highlighted that the ministry’s directive to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc committee to manage the federation has caused further complications.

The IOA dissolved its ad-hoc panel in March this year after UWW lifted its ban on the WFI in February, but the ministry’s suspension order continues to stall progress. The ongoing power struggle between WFI and MYAS has led to a legal impasse, with the court stating that the federation’s affairs must be managed by the ad-hoc committee until the suspension is lifted. However, the IOA has maintained that it cannot reconstitute the panel.

WFI has now called on UWW to enforce Article 6.3 of its regulations, which protect the autonomy of national federations from political and governmental interference. WFI has urged UWW to take appropriate action and has escalated the issue to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for further intervention.

--IANS