United World Wrestling appoints observer for WFI elections, federation complains of govt interferance

United World Wrestling, the governing body behind the sport, has expressed “concern” over the ongoing turmoil in Indian wrestling. Nenad Lalovic, the UWW president, has demanded clarity over who is running the sport. In response, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has complained of “government interference” in their matters. India’s top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, are demanding criminal proceedings against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after accusing him sexual harassment and intimidation. Read | **PT Usha meets protesting wrestlers after calling protests 'not good for sport'** In a letter sent to the WFI, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) official J Poivey, UWW president Lalovic wrote, “It is not clear who exactly enters the athletes in the UWW events and who is in charge of the daily management of the federation. It seems that the Secretary General of the WFI is still in place and works actively.” “The information that UWW received from the media these days is that the investigation report on alleged harassment and abuse by Mr. Singh has been finalised in early April and was forwarded to the Ministry of Sport,” Lalovic wrote. “To date, no other action has been taken and the wrestlers have resumed their sitting protest. In addition, the WFI convened an elective general assembly on 7 May 2023. “I am very concerned about all this and I urge you to provide UWW with official and accurate information about the situation. We reserve the right to take measures in case of failure to do so,” the letter said as per news agency PTI. Read | 'Anurag Thakur tried to hush up the matter': Vinesh Phogat On request by the Sports Ministry, the IOA has formed an ad-hoc panel to manage the day-to-day functions of the WFI. The WFI elections have also been called off for now and asked the IOA to conduct polls. UWW chief added the organisation appoints an observer to national federations’ elections in “particular situations” - such as that of WFI. “This is the case with the WFI and we would be glad to be informed about the status of this matter so we can make the necessary arrangements,” he wrote. In reply, WFI informed the UWW that the role of the Oversight Committee is over. It added that the National Championships was conducted by it apart from holding the Emergency General Council Meeting and also clarified that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is ineligible for the president’s post. “We were going to write to UWW asking for an Observer for the said elections but the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India interfered and issued direction that the election was null and void and the same would be conducted by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) which is against the rule of IOC Charter. Read | 'Justice should be delivered to athletes' — says IOA athletes commission member “It is not understood that how could the Ministry interfere in the functioning of the National Sports Federation, which is an Autonomous Body,” WFI wrote. It added that the protest was a conspiracy against Brij Bhushan Sharang Singh and was using the wreslters as pawns. IOC has confirmed that it was aware of the issue in Indian wrestling. “The situation of the Wrestling Federation in India is being monitored by the International Federation concerned (UWW) and the IOA has been requested to liaise and work closely with UWW to coordinate any action vis-a-vis the Wrestling Federation in India,” an IOC spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI. “The IOC stands together with all athletes to state that harassment and abuse of any kind are contrary to the values of Olympism.” “Athletes’ safety and wellbeing is a priority for the IOC and is in line with its mission, stated in the Olympic Charter, to promote safe sport and the protection of athletes from all forms of harassment and abuse.” “….Safeguarding is an extremely complex topic requiring specialised, sensitive and comprehensive approaches in order to prevent, and ensure appropriate response to harassment and abuse to protect and support affected individuals. “As this incident is under investigation by the relevant organisations, we cannot comment further on individual cases.” Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.