The Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) office has been moved from its former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s residence in a major setback for the governing body, after the Sports Ministry strongly objected to the move.
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It is pertinent to note that the Sports Ministry suspended the newly elected WFI body which was headed by Sanjay Singh who is a close aide of Brij Bhushan. The suspension came as a huge blow to the newly elected office-bearers. The suspension was given in response to various complaints and procedural lapses. The Sports Ministry also alleged that the new body is in complete control of the previous office-bearers which is against the provisions of the National Sports Code.
Sanjay Singh had responded to allegations that the WFI office is functioning from Brij Bhushan’s residence, saying that the newly elected team needs time to find a new place to work. He also said that he is ready to move to any place as per the government’s instructions.
“One of the allegations is that the federation is run from his residence. We took over the WFI only two days before, we are looking for a place. If the Sports Mnistry tells us where to go, we will go there immediately. We are also looking for a new office, we are ready to shift immediately,” Singh had told India Today.
The controversy broke out soon after the World Wrestling Federation (WFI) election on December 21st, 2023, in which Sanjay Singh won the election. However, his candidature was met with resistance from top-tier wrestlers, including Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi Malik who quit the sport in protest and former Padma Shri-award-holder Bajrang Punia who returned his award.
