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NEW DELHI : The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), battling a sexual harassment scandal, may need to safeguard women wrestlers to get its suspension lifted, the game's global governing body said on Saturday.
The much-delayed Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections will be held on December 21 and the results will be announced the same day, said returning officer for the polls on Saturday. A statement issued by the office of the returning officer, Justice (retd) MM Kumar said polling, counting of votes and declaration of results will be done on the same day and the result of the elections shall be subject to the outcome of the writ petition pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The notification to hold the stalled Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections could be issued on or after December 8, the date set for inclusion of any changes in the electoral college published earlier this year. The Supreme Court recently set aside the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, paving the way for the process to elect the new WFI governing body. An IOA-constituted ad-hoc panel, led by Wushu Association of India chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa, is currently managing the day-to-day activities of the WFI after the sports ministry suspended the federation headed by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment levelled by top Indian grapplers. Several wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, sat in protest at the Jantar Mantar here for more than two months to protest alleged sexual harassment of female grapplers by Brij Bhushan.
The wrestling squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics will be finalised through a two-step selection process, where the grapplers who have earned the quota places for the country, will compete against a challenger in June and the winner will represent India in the quadrennial showpiece. So far only Antim Panghal, the world championships bronze medallist in 53kg category, has earned a quota place for the country and she too will have to compete against a challenger on June 1 to know whether she will go to Paris or not.
United World Wrestling (UWW) will not interfere in the pending case relating to the alleged sexual harassment of Indian women grapplers by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh but will "listen to the voices of athletes" if they approach the world body again, its chief Nenad Lalovic said on Monday. Seven wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold winner Vinesh Phogat, had alleged that Singh had sexually harassed female grapplers.
Young Indian wrestler Antim Panghal's superb campaign at the World Championships culminated with a bronze medal, a performance that also earned the country a 53kg quota for the Paris Olympics. The 19-year-old Panghal became only the sixth Indian woman to win a bronze medal at the Worlds with her win over Sweden's Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren, the two-time European champion. The high-scoring bout ended with a technical superiority win for the Indian, who became the first Indian wrestler -- male or female -- to lock a quota for the next year's Games. Panghal raced to a 5-0 lead after beginning with a quick push-out point. Malmgren fought with a take-down move and had the Indian in her grip but somehow the Indian wriggled out.
Antim Panghal shocked reigning champion Olivia Dominique Parrish en route to the World Championship semifinals, raising hopes of locking a quota for the Paris Olympics even as other Indian contenders bit the dust in their respective categories in Belgrade Wednesday. The two-time U20 champion Panghal slipped to a 0-2 deficit at the start of the bout against the American but edged her rival 3-2 in the women's 53kg opening round. She later outplayed Poland's Roksana Marta Zasina by technical superiority and followed that up with a 9-6 win over Russian Natalia Malysheva, who is competing as a neutral athlete.
Three Olympic champions from Russia were cleared to compete at the wrestling world championships this week because they were judged to have been pressured to appear at a pro-war rally in Moscow last year.