Sakshi Malik, a former wrestler, has expressed her lack of official confirmation regarding the suspension of the recently elected body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its chief, Sanjay Singh. She emphasized that the wrestlers’ struggle is not against the government.
In response to the uproar from prominent wrestlers like Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, who protested against the appointment of an associate of ousted WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as the new president, the Union Sports Ministry took decisive action on Sunday. The ministry reprimanded the WFI and all its office-bearers.
Sanjay Singh had recently announced Nandini Nagar in the Gond district of Uttar Pradesh as the venue for the U-15 and U-20 nationals by the year’s end. Although Sakshi Malik appreciated this decision, she expressed uncertainty about the suspension, stating, “I have not seen anything in writing yet. I don’t know whether only Mr. Singh or the entire body has been suspended. Our fight was not with the government. Our fight is for women wrestlers. I have announced my retirement but want the upcoming wrestlers to get justice.”
Hinting at a potential reversal of her retirement decision, she added, “I will tell you about the decision according to the federation that would be formed.”
The Sports Ministry, in a press release on Sunday, criticized WFI’s decision to host the competition as a “complete disregard to the sports code.” The ministry stated, “The decisions made by the newly elected executive body of the WFI demonstrate a blatant disregard for the established legal and procedural norms, violating both the WFI’s constitutional provisions and the National Sports Development Code. The newly elected body appeared to be in complete control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code. The business of the Federation is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers.”
Earlier in the week, Sanjay Singh was appointed as the new chief, an associate of the former WFI President Singh. Sakshi Malik, visibly distressed and emotional, had announced her retirement from wrestling during a press conference in the national capital.
