United World Wrestling (UWW) the world governing body for wrestling, has suspended the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) with immediate effect for not conducting its elections on time, a development which will not allow Indian grapplers to compete at the upcoming World Championships under the Indian flag.
The Indian wrestlers will have to compete as ‘neutral athletes’ at the Olympic-qualifying World Championships starting September 16 as the ad-hoc panel, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, did not honour the 45-day deadline for conducting the elections. The sources said that United World Wrestling took the decision as WFI “failed to conduct elections” in the specified duration. The IOA had appointed the ad-hoc panel on April 27 and the committee was supposed to hold elections within 45 days. UWW had on April 28 warned that it could suspend the Indian federation if the deadline to hold elections is not honoured. Originally, the WFI was to hold elections on May 7 but the Sports Ministry had declared the process as null and void. And then, the election was slated to be held on August 12. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections till August 28. The stay order came in the wake of a petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA) which challenged the move to allow the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to cast votes in the WFI polls. The WFI’s elections have been delayed due to controversies surrounding WFI. Elections for the federation, which oversees wrestling in India, were initially planned for June this year. However, demonstrations by Indian wrestlers over sexual allegations against the then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and legal lawsuits from several state units led to the postponement of polls. An ad hoc committee set up by the Indian Olympic Association is running the affairs of WFI at present. Amid the protest by wrestlers over their sexual harassment allegations, UWW had warned in May that if elections to the Wrestling Federation of India are not held within the specified duration, it may suspend the federation.
