Young wrestlers hold protest against Bajrang, Sakshi, Vinesh in Delhi, accusing them of ‘ruining’ wrestling

NEW DELHI: Young wrestlers held a protest against veteran grapplers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, accusing them of putting all wrestling-related activities to a halt and ruining the future of children pursuing the sport.

Hundreds of young wrestlers gathered in the national capital and shouted slogans against the veteran wrestlers. They also held placards saying that Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi had ruined the condition of wrestling in the country.

A protestor named Nidhi told ANI, “These people (Bajrang, Sakshi and Vinesh) wanted the federation to be run according to them. Elections were done. Brij Bhushan Singh (former WFI president) said that no one from his family will contest in the elections. A male and female candidate fought the election. But they wanted the election to happen again because they felt that the winner was his (Brij Bhushan Singh) aide. They have ruined the wresting and future of our children. We have been practicing for an year, since early morning. They are not able to eat properly, and are ruining their sleep because they want to practice. But here these people (wrestlers protesting against Brij Bhushan). They have ruined everything through their protests. The games should resume once again.”

The ad hoc committee for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Monday announced it would host the National Coaching Camp for Senior Wrestlers in preparation for the forthcoming Asian Olympics qualifying and World qualifying tournament.

Along with this, the committee has scheduled the Senior National Championships for wrestling.

The decision was announced following a press release by the ad hoc committee. The senior National Championships will take place from February 2 to 5 in Jaipur and will be orchestrated by the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).

The tournament will include competitions across senior freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women’s categories, providing a comprehensive platform for wrestlers to showcase their talent.

After the conclusion of the Senior National Championships, the National Coaching Camp (NCC) will be conducted.

The men’s camp (encompassing Greco-Roman and free style) will be held at SAI NRC Sonepat, while the women’s camp will be held at SAI NSNIS Patiala. The NCC will select medalist wrestlers from 30 weight divisions across the senior freestyle, Greco Roman, and women’s categories of the Senior National Championships.

The coaching camp will begin on February 9, 2024, and extend until the Paris Olympics in 2024. The primary focus of the NCC will be rigorous training for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournaments.

#WATCH | Young wrestlers hold protests against Olympic-winning wrestlers Sakshee Malikkh, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, at Delhi's Jantar Mantar pic.twitter.com/5yHVsksKp8

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2024

These qualifying tournaments include the 2024 Asian Qualification Tournament set to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from April 19-21, and the 2024 World Qualification Tournament scheduled for Istanbul, Turkey, from May 9-12, 2024.

Additionally, the NCC will prepare athletes for the Senior Asian Championships, which are slated to take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from April 11-16, 2024.

The Union Sports Ministry had earlier suspended the sport’s premier governing body in the country along with all its office-bearers, including the newly-elected president Sanjay Singh.

At the same time, following its decision, the Ministry instructed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad hoc committee to manage and control the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). (ANI)