 "Aman Sehrawat won bronze for India at the Paris Olympics in the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling event. Image: Reuters")
The Wrestling Federation of India has lifted the suspension on Olympic medal-winning wrestler Aman Sehrawat and junior grappler Neha Sangwan. Sehrawat was banned for one year and Sangwan for two years for failing to make weight at the World Championships and the U20 World Championships, respectively.
The decision clears both wrestlers to enter the auction for the upcoming Pro Wrestling League (PWL).
WFI takes lenient approach
In their written submissions to the WFI, the wrestlers described the incident as their first lapse and assured the federation it would not be repeated. The WFI Disciplinary Committee met on November 13 to review their responses and acknowledged their strong international records.
In view of their past achievements, the committee recommended a lenient approach.
WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh accepted the recommendation and issued an order lifting their suspensions, allowing them to compete in all future events. However, the federation warned that any future violations related to weight management or discipline would invite “stricter disciplinary action.”
Sehrawat had already apologised
In October, Sehrawat had apologised for what he felt was an honest mistake caused by stomach pain, which hindered his best efforts to make weight in the tournament.
“I started losing weight a week ago (before the event). When I had one day left, I kept 600 grams (extra). It was the last session at the gym. I had 600 grams left (to be reduced),” he said at the time.
“I was doing practice and losing weight. At that time, I had only 600 grams (extra). But suddenly, I had a stomach problem, a stomach ache. Then I went straight to my room. I had a plan. I woke up at 4 am to practice. Then I had a stomach problem at night. The doctor gave me some pills. It was still not getting better. I thought I would get better. But it (excess weight problem) happened. I was sad. I did not know what to do. I just wanted to win,” Sehrawat said.