Wrestling Federation of India president is at Paris ‘making decisions’ on Vinesh, wrestlers tell High Court
Case against the WFI elections will be heard next on September 12
IOA president P. T. Usha meets wrestler Vinesh Phogat after the latter was hospitalised following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics as she was found overweight ahead of her women’s 50kg final match, in Paris, France, on August 07, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The lawyer of wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik on Thursday (August 8, 2024) told the Delhi High Court that Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh was present at the Olympic Village in Paris, and alleged that he was “making decisions” in relation to Ms. Phogat, who was disqualified for being 100 gm overweight ahead of her 50 kg category gold medal bout.
The senior counsel for the petitioners asserted that the WFI was being “manned by proxies” and objected to the presence of the Mr. Singh at the Olympic Village in Paris. The High Court was hearing the wrestlers’ plea seeking the setting aside and declaring as illegal the elections held to elect the WFI office-bearers last year. The wrestlers were at the forefront of last year’s protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers. Mr. Singh, considered a Brij Bhushan loyalist, was elected the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.
Follow LIVE updates from the Paris Olympics on August 08, 2024
The plea said that the WFI elections were in blatant violation of the Sports Code and sought a direction to the federation to “cease and desist” from undertaking any activity pertaining to the sport of wrestling.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav asked the wrestlers, the Central government and the WFI to complete the pleadings in the matter and listed the case for hearing on September 12.
Central government counsel Anil Soni said the entire nation was with Ms. Phogat.
The Centre had suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023, three days after it elected the new office-bearers, for allegedly not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions, and requested the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute an ad hoc committee to manage and control its affairs.
In February, the world wrestling body — UWW — lifted the suspension, leading to the IOA also dissolving its ad hoc committee for wrestling in March.
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Paris Olympics 2024