The suspended WFI President Sanjay Singh has written to the United World Wrestling (UWW) against the IOC. Singh has claimed that the Indian Olympic Association (IOC) has no control over the WFI. Furthermore he has claimed that the suspension that has been imposed on WFI be lifted.
The IOC decided to suspend the WFI back in August of 2023. Sanjay Singh who won the elections back on 21st December, was suspended just 3 days letter by the Sports Ministry of India for breaching it’s own constitutional rules.
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As a result an IOA ad-hoc panel consisting of 3 members have been tasked to deal with the day to day activities of the WFI. Sanjay Singh has claimed that the IOA’s influence in wrestling should be deemed illegal by the IWW
Sanjay Singh writes to UWW
“Pursuant to the election, the newly-elected body has taken charge of the WFI and is managing its affairs, and we await the lifting of the provisional suspension imposed by the UWW,” said Sanjay Singh in his letter to Nenad Lalovic, the head of UWW.
“We would also like to draw your attention to a judgment of the High Court of Delhi against the IOA which was passed on l6th August 2023, which stated that the IOA cannot exercise any control of authority over a National Sports Federation. Any influence by the IOA would be illegal, NSF’s are independent entities.”
Singh in detail went on to explain that the influence of IOA in the WFI is illegal and thus the ban imposed on the wrestling body be revoked. He further went on to state the elections were held transparently and as per the rules.
“Hence, we request you to accept the elections of the WFI as has been done in the past many decades by the UWW and lift the provisional suspension of the WFI. The IOA also does not and cannot approve any election of any other NSF in India as well. It would not be fair to put the WFI as an exception for something that is not even legally correct,” Singh concluded.
