The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been suspended by the UWW, the organization that oversees wrestling, for failing to hold its elections on time. As a result, Indian wrestlers won’t be able to represent their country at the upcoming Wrestling World Championships.
The ad-hoc body, headed by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, did not adhere to the 45-day timeframe for holding the polls, thus the Indian wrestlers will have to compete at the Olympic-qualifying World Championships beginning September 16 as “neutral athletes.”
This means all top Indian wrestlers will be not be playing under the Tricolour at the qualifying event for Paris Olympics 2024.
Why is WFI suspended?
The ad hoc panel had been selected by the IOA on April 27 and elections were to be held by the committee within 45 days.On April 28, UWW issued a warning that if the election deadline was not respected, it could suspend the Indian federation.
According to an IOA source who spoke to PTI, “The UWW communicated to the ad-hoc panel on Wednesday night that WFI has been suspended for failing to hold elections to its executive committee.”
The WFI was initially scheduled to hold elections on May 7, but the Sports Ministry declared the procedure invalid.
With numerous disgruntled and unaffiliated state bodies petitioning the court to request the right to vote, the elections have been repeatedly postponed.
The WFI was suspended twice—first in January, then again in May—after India’s top wrestlers challenged its operation and claimed that Brij Bhushan, the organization’s then president, had harassed female wrestlers.
WFI is currently run on a day-to-day basis by an ad hoc committee that was established by the Indian Olympic Association and is chaired by Bhupender Singh Bajwa.
Notably, the United World Wrestling, the sport’s highest authority, threatened to suspend WFI if the elections were postponed.
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