In an ideal world, politics and sport are not meant to be mixed. But then the world of Indian wrestling was far from ideal in 2024 with Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic dejection and the never-ending administrative chaos pulling down a once flourishing sport. From the time when Wrestling Federation of India elections were held, exactly a year back, to the recent National Championships in Benglauru, Indian wrestling has seemed like a rudderless ship. Not too long ago, wrestling had developed into a sport that promised unprecedented Olympic success but cut to Paris 2024, Aman Sehrawat’s bronze medal was what saved the delegation the blushes after Phogat’s seemingly destined gold slipped through her grasp due to a cruel twist of fate.

She was, for better or for worse, the most intriguing story of Indian wrestling this year.

She punished herself to fight in a lower weight category after her preferred class was already booked for the Olympics, downed the then unbeaten Japanese legend Yui Susaki in her opening round in Paris and then ended up disqualified for being 100gm overweight on the morning of the final.

A day later, she gave up on her sporting career, declaring that the fight had left her.

She wasn’t done though. Following an emotionally overwhelming homecoming which included a custom-made gold medal from Haryana’s khap panchayats, Phogat joined the Congress party, fought the state assembly elections and managed to become an MLA in her maiden electoral outing from Julana constituency.

She wasn’t the only one in her fraternity who decided on politics as future.

Bajrang Punia too joined the Congress but he did not get the same returns as Phogat.

His position was that of a Kisan morcha head and his wrestling career was left stalled after coping a four-year ban for failure to submit dope samples during training camps. This was after he failed to qualify for Paris, a new low in the career of the celebrated grappler, who fetched a bronze in the Tokyo Games.

The two maintained all along that their fight against alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers by former WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was an apolitical one.

But their fellow protestor and Rio Olympics bronze-winner Sakshi Malik sought to dispute that soon after they joined congress.She went on to allege in her book that the the duo’s “greed” punctured their protest against Sharan Singh.

Next generation affected by chaos

The likes of Anshu Malik and Antim Panghal, who were touted as the next big thing in Indian wrestling, cut a sorry figure in Paris but Aman carried forward the rich legacy of the Chhatrasal stadium by winning the men’s freestyle 57kg bronze.

It was a category which 2020 Tokyo Games silver-medallist Ravi Dahiya made his own. But Dahiya vanished from the scene due to spate of injuries that affected his form.

The Tokyo campaign, which yielded two medals in wrestling, should have been the catalyst for better infrastructure and coaching for Indian wrestler.

However, the developments in the last 24 months have prevented growth.

The potential is still there and the biggest example was Indian U17 women team’s world championship victory in Amman, Jordan in September.

The country had been aiming for a podium finish for long and the dream finally materialised this year. Out of 10 possible medals, India won eight medals, including five gold medal and one silver.

Finishing ahead of powerhouse Japan and impressive Kazakhstan is no mean feat.

However, the unending litigations have tied the hands of WFI which is now struggling to carry out day to day affairs of the body.

The team led by Sanjay Singh, that won the elections, stands suspended by the Sports Ministry.

The ground of suspension is announcing Nationals without following a 15-day notice period in December 2023. But the fact remains that if WFI had followed the notice period, wrestlers would have lost a crucial year because by the time the 15-day period would have completed, year 2024 would have started.

WFI was forced to withdraw the team from the senior World Championship owing to pending litigation by Sakshi and and her wrestler husband Satyawart Kadian.

Eventually after government’s intervention a team was finally sent.

No proper coaching camp has been organised in the last two years, the efforts to revive the Pro Wrestling League are on hold, grants and sponsorships have stopped, no foreign/personal coaches have been engaged and there is no planning to take the sport forward.

If the situation could be summed up in a line, Indian wrestling is stagnant for now. 

Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia has said that the four-year ban imposed on him by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the result of “personal animosity and a political conspiracy” against him and accused the national doping body of “operating under the government’s influence.” Punia has been suspended for four years for refusing to provide a urine sample for anti-doping testing during the trials for the national team in March 2024. Afterwards, the United World Wrestling (UWW) has also put the World and Olympic medallist wrestler under suspension until December 31, 2024.

“This four-year ban is the result of personal animosity and a political conspiracy against me. This action has been taken as revenge for the movement we led in support of women wrestlers. In that movement, we raised our voices against injustice and exploitation,” Punia wrote in a long post on X.

“I want to make it clear that I never refused to undergo a doping test. When the NADA team came to test me, the doping kit they had was expired. This was a serious lapse, and I simply requested that the test be conducted with a valid and certified kit. This was essential for ensuring both my health and the security of my career. However, this issue was deliberately used as a weapon against me,” he added.

The 30-year-old, who was one of the leading faces of the wrestlers’ protest against the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, further accused the WFI and the ruling government of conspiring against him for his involvement in the protests against its former WFI chief.

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— Bajrang Punia (@BajrangPunia) November 27, 2024

“The BJP government and the federation have conspired to trap me and destroy my career. This decision is not fair but rather an attempt to silence me and other athletes like me,” he wrote.

Earlier this year in July, Punia had also accused NADA of targeting him for pointing out flaws in their system. “NADA’s actions have proven that they have no regard for impartiality. Such institutions are operating entirely under the government’s influence. The real motive behind this ban is to silence me and stop me from raising my voice against injustice.

“Let me make it clear that even if I am suspended for life, I will not stop raising my voice against injustice. This fight is not just mine; it belongs to every athlete who has been silenced by the system. I will appeal against this decision and continue to fight for my rights until my last breath,” the post concluded.

Bajrang Punia is one of India’s most decorated wrestlers with multiple medals in the World Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Championships in a decade-long international career starting with the 2013 Asian Championships in New Delhi, when he came into the limelight. He has been awarded the Arjuna Award (2015), Khel Ratna, and Padma Shri in 2019.

In September this year, Punia joined the Indian National Congress ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls along with fellow Olympian Vinesh Phogat, who contested an election from the Jhulana seat and won.

The National Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday suspended Bajrang Punia for four years for his refusal to provide his sample for dope test on March 10 during selection trials for the national team. NADA had first suspended the Tokyo Games bronze medallist wrestler on April 23 for the offence following which, the World Governing body UWW had also suspended him. Bajrang had appealed against the provisional suspension and NADA’s Anti-Disciplinary Doping panel (ADDP) had revoked it on May 31 till NADA issues the notice of charge.

NADA, then on June 23 served the notice to the wrestler. Bajrang, who joined Congress along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat and was given charge of All India Kisan Congress, had challenged the charge on July 11 in a written submission following which hearings were held on September 20 and October 4.

“The Panel holds that the Athlete is liable for sanctions under Article 10.3.1 and liable for ineligibility for a period of 4 years,” the ADDP said in its order.

The suspension means that Bajrang will not be able to return to competitive wrestling and apply for a coaching job abroad, if he aspires to.

“In the present case, since the Athlete had been provisionally suspended, the Panel accordingly holds that the Athlete’s period of his ineligibility for the period of 4 years shall commence from the date on which the notification was sent, i.e., 23.04.2024.

“Needless to say that on account of the lifting of the provisional suspension for the period from 31.05.2024 to 21.06.2024 shall not be credited into the total period of ineligibility of four years.” Bajrang has maintained since the beginning that he was given extremely prejudicial and unfair treatment with respect to doping control because of his involvement in the protest against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Bajrang also maintained that he never refused to give sample but only demanded to know NADA’s response to his email where he sought answer why expired kits were sent to take his samples in December 2023.

NADA also explained the reason for its action, saying that the Chaperone/DCO had duly approached him and informed that he was required to provide a urine sample for dope analysis purposes.

Bajrang in his written submission said that the conduct of NADA in two previous instances had created mistrust in the athlete’s mind, especially with NADA failing to acknowledge or even respond to their callous approach towards the doping control process in both such instances, the failure to take responsibility for their action pertaining to their dispersal of duties meant that the athlete was morally bound to take a stance in resort as a senior athlete who holds a voice in the sporting community.

Bajrang also said “it was not an outright refusal per se. The athlete was always willing to provide his sample provided that he first received a response from NADA concerning the use of expired kits.” However NADA said, “the outright refusal by the athlete to provide urine sample for the dope test was intentional and deliberate” and that “Athlete has demonstrated utter disregard towards his duties and responsibilities as per Articles 20.1 & 20.2 of the Anti Doping Rules, 2021.”

File image of Mansukh Mandaviya.© NDTV

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Wednesday withdrew the Indian team from the World Championship, conveying to world governing body, UWW, that the sports ministry is interfering with its autonomy. The senior World Championship in 12 non-Olympic categories is scheduled to be held in Tirana, Albania from October 28. The WFI had recently announced selection trials for the U23 and World Championship, which was challenged as contempt of court by the protesting wrestlers who questioned the legality of the selection by the suspended federation.

WFI withdrew the selection trials notice and the court, on October 4, decided not to proceed with the contempt petition.

“Satyawart Kadian, the husband of Sakshi Malik, approached the court recently saying that the WFI should be charged with contempt of court. We won’t be able to send the Indian team for the World Championship now, we have conveyed this to the UWW,” a WFI source told PTI.

“This is all happening because of the ministry’s suspension. There are no grounds to keep the suspension. If the ministry lifts the suspension, all these issues won’t crop up. It’s just pathetic that wrestlers have to suffer because of a few wrestlers and the ministry is not lifting the suspension,” the source added.

The WFI was suspended by the Sports Ministry on December 24 soon after the polls were conducted to elect the new office-bearers.

“Unfortunately, the MYAS (ministry) continues to interfere in the autonomy of the WFI. The MYAS has ordered on 24th December 2023 to the WFI to cease and desist from discharging the day to day administration of WFI and had directed the Indian Olympic Association (NOC of India) to make an Ad-Hoc Committee for governance of WFI,” WFI President Sanjay Singh wrote in his letter to UWW President Nenad Lalovic.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), though, had disbanded the ad-hoc panel managing the Federation in March this year after UWW lifted the ban on WFI in February.

WFI put on record support from the PT Usha-led Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

“Though the IOA through its President Ms. PT Usha had supported the WFI in the case, it is the MYAS that is the problem creator because of their letter of 24th December 2023 which is being used as a tool to interfere in the administration of the WFI by the wrestlers.” The WFI began to function but wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and her husband Satyawart filed a plea before the court for appointing an administrator to manage the sports body.

In an interim order, the court said that the IOA’s decision to dissolve the ad-hoc committee was incompatible with the sports ministry’s suspension order.

It said that until the suspension order was recalled, it was necessary for the ad-hoc committee to manage the federation’s affairs. The IOA, though, told the court that it cannot re-constitute the panel.

The WFI has now asked UWW to invoke article 6.3 of UWW Regulations and take appropriate action and also use Thursday’s communication as a complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Article 6.3 of the UWW Constitution states that, “Affiliated and Associated Members shall govern and administer their activities independently. They shall preserve their autonomy without influence by any political, religious or economic pressures.” “Governments and other public authorities shall only be entitled to verify the use of their financial grants by the National Federations.” In the Olympic year, World Championships are held in four categories in each of the three styles — men’s freestyle, women and greco-roman — instead of all 10.

Indian teams:

Men’s freestyle: Udit (61kg), Manish Goswami (70kg), Parvinder Singh (79kg), Sandeep Mann (92kg).

Greco-Roman: Sanjeev (55kg), Chetan (63kg), Ankit Gulia (72kg), Rohit Dahiya (82kg).

Women: Kirti (55kg), Mansi (59kg), Manisha (65kg), Bipasha (72kg).

File photo of Sakshi Malik (L) and Vinesh Phogat© AFP

Kurukshetra:

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Sunday that the Congress is going to be “wiped out” no matter how many alliances it makes for the October 5 Assembly elections.

About the ongoing talks between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to forge a pre-poll alliance for the upcoming elections, CM Saini said that the two parties are “stuck in the quagmire of corruption” and are serving their “own interests by deceiving the people”.

He said that the BJP is “going to form government in Haryana for the third time with a big mandate”.

Hitting out at the Congress and AAP, CM Saini said that people have realised that “they cannot do good to anyone, neither the state nor the people of the state; they can do good only to themselves”.

About the threat to wrestler Bajrang Punia, who recently joined the Congress, CM Saini said: “We will get it investigated and take action against whoever is found guilty, no one will be spared.”

According to CM Saini, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a rally in Kurukshetra on September 14.

The Haryana CM said that the BJP will release its second list soon and there will be “no change in the tickets of candidates contesting the elections”.

Polling for the elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to be held on October 5.

The last date of submission for nominations is September 12, while the scrutiny will be conducted on September 13. The last date for withdrawing nominations is September 16.

The ballots will be counted on October 8.

Earlier in the day, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also expressed confidence that BJP will form the government for the third consecutive term in the state. The former Haryana CM told reported in Karnal that in the coming days, the state will witness rallies by Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and several Chief Ministers and Ministers.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia, who joined the Congress, has received a threat message over WhatsApp warning him with dire consequences, police said on Sunday.

Bajrang Punia has filed a complaint at Bahalgarh police station in Sonipat.

A police official said they received a complaint from Bajrang Punia after which they launched an investigation.

When asked that some reports say that in the threat message Bajrang Punia was asked to quit Congress or be prepared to face dire consequences, Bahalgarh police station SHO Madan Singh said, “The matter is under investigation.”.

Olympians Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat entered the political arena on Friday by joining the Congress.

The party later fielded Phogat from Julana seat for the Haryana Assembly polls while Bajrang Punia was appointed as working chairman of All India Kisan Congress.

Bajrang Punia won bronze in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Polling for 90 seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the votes counted on October 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Northern Railway has initiated the process of accepting the resignation of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Northern Railway has initiated the process of accepting the resignation of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, with both players expected to be relieved “as early as possible,” railway sources said on Sunday (September 8, 2024).

Both Mr. Punia and Ms. Phogat recently joined the Congress and the latter has been given a ticket to contest election from Julana assembly constituency in Haryana.

“The provision of serving three-month notice period after resigning by a railway employee will not come in the way of relieving these two players as we have decided to relax the norm in their cases,” a senior railway official told PTI.

Also Read: Vinesh Phogat and feminism in Haryana

Railways sources said both the players “will be relieved possibly today or as early as possible.” The Northern Railway (NR) had earlier issued show cause notices to them after they met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to join his party.

The NR had said the show cause notice was part of the service norm as they were government employees. Following the notice, both resigned from the Railways.

Speculation was rife that Ms. Phogat might not be able to contest elections in view of the three-month notice period norm.

According to election rules, she needs to get officially relieved from the Railways to be eligible to contest election.

“Now, since Railways has initiated her resignation acceptance process, there is no hurdle in her contesting election,” a Northern Railway official said.

New Delhi:

In response to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia’s decision to join Congress, Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli said that players are the pride of our country and that the party does not do politics on them.

“Players are the pride of our country, we don’t do politics on them. They will work as a member of Congress after joining,” the Haryana BJP president told the news agency ANI on Friday.

#WATCH | Delhi: Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli said, “…We will announce the next list for the Haryana Assembly elections soon…”

On Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining Congress, Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli said, “Players are the pride of our country, we… pic.twitter.com/wOoBvYN5I7

— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2024

In a big boost ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, Olympian wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress on Friday.

Within hours of his joining the party, Bajrang Punia was appointed working president of the All India Kisan Congress, while Vinesh Phogat was announced as a candidate from the Julana Assembly constituency.

Mr Punia and Ms Phogat joined the Congress in the presence of Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Udai Bhan, and AICC incharge of Haryana Deepak Babaria.

Vinesh Phogat recalled women wrestlers’ fight over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. “The fight is continuing, it hasn’t ended yet. It’s in court. We will win that fight as well… With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation,” she said.

The two well-known wrestlers joined the Congress almost a month before the Haryana assembly polls.

Mr Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, while Vinesh Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final.

Ms Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling a short while after she was disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games after being found overweight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in ahead of the gold medal match.

Voting for the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5, with the last date for filing nominations being September 12. Votes will be counted on October 8.