Bajrang Punia rejects invitation to appear for WFI trials, moves court against selection competition

Top Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia on Thursday rejected the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) invitation to appear for the upcoming national trials, saying that he wouldn’t participate in a trials that is conducted by the WFI. According to news agency PTI, Bajrang moved a joint petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking a stay on the selection trials that’s to be held on 10 and 11 March. In January, the United World Wrestling (UWW) had lifted WFI’s suspension, and following that, the WFI had invited the protesting wrestlers to appear for the trials for the Paris Olympic qualifiers and the Asian Championships. The trials will be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi.

“I would not spend Rs 30 lakh on my training if I were to not compete in the trials, but how the suspended WFI is conducting the trials? I don’t get what the government’s compulsion is (on allowing WFI to conduct trials)?” Bajrang told PTI from Russia, where he has been training since last two months.

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“I don’t understand how a sports body suspended by the Indian government issues a circular and announces the trials. Why is the government silent? We will appear in the trials only if the ad-hoc panel or the government conducts it. How can a suspended body announce the trials?”, questioned Bajrang.

In January last year, Bajrang, along with Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik had accused former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment towards women wrestlers. This led to several protests from the wrestlers in New Delhi, and subsequently, Brij Bhushan was sacked from his post as WFI chief. However, in December, Brij Bhushan’s aide Sanjay Singh was elected the new WFI president, and in the aftermath of that, Sakshi Malik quit wrestling.

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Bajrang seemed to confirm that it wasn’t just him who will skip the trials but also Sakshi and Vinesh. “This decision to not appear in trials is a joint decision taken by us. We are together in this,” said Bajrang. While Bajrang denied that the wrestlers moved court against the trials, a WFI source said that four wrestlers had approached the Delhi High Court, as per a report in PTI. The WFI, meanwhile, remains suspended by the Sports Ministry and a decision on lifting of that suspension is yet to be taken.