Star Indian pistol shooter Manu Bhaker was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year on Monday, following her outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics. Manu was among five nominees for the award, alongside golfer Aditi Ashok, para shooter Avani Lekhara, India women’s cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat — each recognised for their exceptional contributions to Indian sport. The nominees were shortlisted by an eminent jury of sports journalists and writers.

Now in its fifth edition, the ISWOTY Award celebrates and honours remarkable achievements of women athletes in India.

Manu, 22, won the award for winning two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian athlete since Independence to win multiple medals at a single Games.

She secured bronze in the 10m air pistol individual event as well as the 10m air pistol mixed team event.

In 2018, Manu made history as the youngest Indian shooter to win a World Cup gold at just 16.

A recipient of the Arjuna Award, she previously won BBC’s Emerging Player of the Year award in 2021.

Other award winners on the night included para archer Sheetal Devi (BBC Emerging Player of the Year), former India women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj (BBC Lifetime Achievement Award), and para shooter Avani (BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year).

Chess player Tania Sachdev was conferred with the BBC Changemaker Award.

Manu expressed gratitude for the recognition and reflected on her journey to Olympic success.

“I thank BBC for honouring me. A few years ago, I won the Emerging Player award and now this year I got the big one. My journey was full of ups and downs,” Manu said in her address.

“After Tokyo I struggled a lot, lost many events but journey didn’t end, it continued. You can only write your own story and I did that in Paris. Now the journey will continue, and I would like to change the colour of the medal in Los Angeles (2028 Olympics).” 

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. 

Three Indians have made it to the list of BBC’s 100 Most Influential and Inspiring Women of 2024. Social activist Aruna Roy, wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, and funerary rites pioneer Pooja Sharma have joined a stellar lineup that includes stranded astronaut Sunita Williams, Hollywood actress Sharon Stone, rape survivor Gisele Pelicot, Nobel Peace laureate Nadia Murad, and climate activist Adenike Oladosu.

Aruna Roy, Social Activist

Social activist Aruna Roy has dedicated over four decades to championing the rights of India’s rural poor. A former civil servant, Ms Roy co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), an organisation advocating for transparency, fair wages, and government accountability. Her efforts were instrumental in enacting India’s Right to Information Act in 2005.

As president of the National Federation of Indian Women, Ms Roy continues to lead grassroots movements and published her memoir, The Personal is Political, earlier this year. 

Vinesh Phogat, Olympic Wrestler

Vinesh Phogat, a three-time Olympian and one of India’s most decorated wrestlers, has been a strong voice against gender bias in sports. She has earned medals in the World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games.

This year, she became India’s first female wrestler to reach an Olympic final but was disqualified after being 100 grams over the weight limit. Following this, Ms Phogat retired from wrestling and ventured into politics.

Known for speaking out against gender stereotypes, she led a prominent protest by Indian wrestlers against former Indian Wrestling Federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexually harassing female athletes – a charge he denied. The protest gained national attention when Ms Phogat and others were detained by police during a demonstration.

Pooja Sharma, Performer Of Funeral Rites

Pooja Sharma has redefined societal norms by performing funerary rites for unclaimed bodies – a role traditionally reserved for men in Hindu culture – in Delhi. Her mission began after the death of her brother, whose final rites she had to perform alone.

She is the founder of Bright The Soul Foundation and in the past three years, Ms Sharma has conducted over 4,000 last rites for people from various religions.

File image of Sakshi Malik.© X (Twitter)

File photo of Vinesh Phogat© AFP

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

Vinesh Phogat (L) and PT Usha© X (formerly Twitter)

The BJP in Haryana will cross 50 seats and form government for the third time, party leader Yogeshwar Dutt told NDTV as the ruling party pulled a rabbit out of its political hat and stunned its principal rival, the Congress, and defied the exit poll predictions, which were not so kind to it.

Leading in 50 seats (out of 90), the BJP looks set to return for a third term, a feat not heard of before in the state. The majority mark is 46.

“Everybody knows how Congress, two days before results, tried to create an atmosphere. We have been saying from the start that we will form the government. You wait and see, we will cross 50 seats and form a government for the third time, which will be a historic achievement,” said Mr Dutt in Hindi.  

“The people of Haryana have shown that they are with the BJP. That they are with an imaandaar (honest) party,” he added, showering praise on the good work done by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and his predecessor ML Khattar.

Asked about Vinesh Phogat, who making her poll debut won from Julana, Mr Dutt said ,”The question is who is forming the government. These few wrestlers – Bajrang Punia, Sakshee Malikkh and Vinesh Phogat – have tried to spoil the atmosphere in Haryana. The Haryana public has answered them. Whether Vinesh wins or loses is not important, if you look at other 89 seats, these wrestlers have had no effect. Haryana does not have just three wrestlers,” said Mr Dutt, an Olympic bronze-medallist, who had to sit out this election.

Pressed to answer what’s next for him, the BJP leader said,”I am happy. It is for the party to decide who should get a ticket. I am with a nationalist party an will remain so.”

Lagging behind, the Congress questioned the Election Commission over its slow pace of counting.

A buoyed BJP has called a meeting of its leaders at the residence of Nayab Singh Saini, who won his seat from Ladwa.