Young Wrestlers Archives - Lokmarg

Young wrestlers held a protest against veteran grapplers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, accusing them of putting all wrestling-related activities to a halt and ruining the future of children pursuing the sport.

Hundreds of young wrestlers gathered in the national capital and shouted slogans against the veteran wrestlers. They also held placards saying that Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi had ruined the condition of wrestling in the country.

A protestor named Nidhi told ANI, “These people (Bajrang, Sakshi and Vinesh) wanted the federation to be run according to them. Elections were done. Brij Bhushan Singh (former WFI president) said that no one from his family will contest in the elections. A male and female candidate fought the election. But they wanted the election to happen again because they felt that the winner was his (Brij Bhushan Singh) aide. They have ruined the wresting and future of our children. We have been practicing for an year, since early morning. They are not able to eat properly, and are ruining their sleep because they want to practice. But here these people (wrestlers protesting against Brij Bhushan). They have ruined everything through their protests. The games should resume once again.”

The ad hoc committee for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Monday announced it would host the National Coaching Camp for Senior Wrestlers in preparation for the forthcoming Asian Olympics qualifying and World qualifying tournament.

Along with this, the committee has scheduled the Senior National Championships for wrestling.

The decision was announced following a press release by the ad hoc committee. The senior National Championships will take place from February 2 to 5 in Jaipur and will be orchestrated by the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).

The tournament will include competitions across senior freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women’s categories, providing a comprehensive platform for wrestlers to showcase their talent.

After the conclusion of the Senior National Championships, the National Coaching Camp (NCC) will be conducted.

The men’s camp (encompassing Greco-Roman and free style) will be held at SAI NRC Sonepat, while the women’s camp will be held at SAI NSNIS Patiala. The NCC will select medalist wrestlers from 30 weight divisions across the senior freestyle, Greco Roman, and women’s categories of the Senior National Championships.

The coaching camp will begin on February 9, 2024, and extend until the Paris Olympics in 2024. The primary focus of the NCC will be rigorous training for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournaments.

These qualifying tournaments include the 2024 Asian Qualification Tournament set to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from April 19-21, and the 2024 World Qualification Tournament scheduled for Istanbul, Turkey, from May 9-12, 2024.

Additionally, the NCC will prepare athletes for the Senior Asian Championships, which are slated to take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from April 11-16, 2024.

The Union Sports Ministry had earlier suspended the sport’s premier governing body in the country along with all its office-bearers, including the newly-elected president Sanjay Singh.

At the same time, following its decision, the Ministry instructed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad hoc committee to manage and control the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). (ANI)

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Om Prakash Yadav, a former wrestler from UP, says the chest-thumping by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Saran Singh after the WFI election was unnecessary, unwanted. His views:

When the controversy first dogged the Wrestling Federation of India over alleged misbehavior of then federation president Brij Bhushan Saran Singh with women wrestlers, most young grapplers were concerned that it may affect the holding of Nationals event and subsequently their selection process. They wanted an early solution to the conflict for the sake of their sports career.

Though the controversy dragged on for a while, things did seem to fall back on track after Brij Bhushan was sacked and fresh elections for the federation office were announced. Sanjay Singh was elected the new WFI president and even though it was an open secret as to which camp he belonged, it appeared that normal functioning of the federation will be restored.

The elections were free and fair as these were held under the supervision of the Court – with not a single question raised on its transparency. Young wrestlers were happy when the dates of the under-15 and under-20 Nationals were declared; it was a welcome decision by the new president Sanjay Singh. But the happiness was short lived.

An unnecessary ‘shakti-pradarshan’ (public show of strength) was organized by the newly elected president where he arrogantly declared, “Dabdaba thaa… dabdaba rahega” (our camp dominated WFI and shall continue to do so). This triggered angry reaction from erstwhile protesting wrestlers and the same old controversy revived. It took the WFI back to the same confrontation point from where it had been struggling to come out.

ALSO READ: Dabdaba Tha, Dabdaba Rahega, Says Sanjay Singh

Everyone knew the collaboration between the ex and the newly elected president but to publicly drive the point home was not necessary, especially at a time when the media was showing returning of the Padma Shri (by Bajrang Punia) and announcement of retirement from the sport by Sakshi Mallik.

Now, as per the latest development, the Sports Ministry has asked the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad hoc committee to run the affairs of the WFI after suspending all the activities of the newly activated body. Going a step further, the ministry instructed the WFI not to carry out any activities after it announced junior national championships in violation of norms.

The biggest loser in this battle is the young wrestler. The conflict has put at risk the future of under-20 and under-18 wrestlers who aim for sports-quota government jobs that have an age limit of under 18 and 20 such as the defence services. Now, by the time things come back to normal, they may find themselves on the wrong side of the age-bar. The development has also shocked the wrestler community which believed that the scuffle between two different camps had been laid to rest.

The sports ministry cannot be blamed for its harsh decision as it was much expected and much `invited’. This could also not be termed as a one-sided or biased decision as the ministry has acted for the betterment of the WFI and the sport. The public display of arrogance and seeing the election as the victory for only a section of wrestlers must be discouraged and not go unpunished. My heart beats for the young wrestlers who have to bear the brunt for no fault of their own.

As told to Rajat Rai

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Tag: Young Wrestlers

Young Wrestlers Hold Protest Against Bajrang, Sakshi, Vinesh

‘Brij Bhushan’s Arrogance Has Put Future of Young Wrestlers at Risk’