File image of WFI president Sanjay Singh
| Photo Credit: ANI
A defiant Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will challenge its suspension by the Sports Ministry in courtroom next week and has additionally referred to as for an Executive Committee meeting right here on January 16 to focus on the best way ahead.
Citing violation of the National Sports Code and the WFI structure, the federal government had suspended the newly-elected physique on December 24, three days after the Federation carried out its election.
The WFI has maintained that it neither accepts the suspension nor does it recognise the ad-hoc panel that has been constituted by the IOA to handle the day-to-day affairs of the game.
Also learn: Wrestling Federation of India timeline | From allegations, elections to suspension
“We need a properly functioning Federation. We are taking the matter to the court next week. This suspension is not acceptable to us because we were elected democratically. We have also called the Executive Committee meeting on January 16,” WFI President Sanjay Singh instructed PTI.
Mr. Singh, who hails from Varanasi, reasoned how the ad-hoc panel was not geared up to ship in crunch time.
“You have seen how the team for the Zagreb Open was announced. Five weight categories will go unrepresented. This will happen in the absence of a proper Federation. If certain wrestlers were unavailable in their respective categories, then why were their replacements not sought?
“Never ever in a event, when the federation was in place, we let India go unrepresented in any weight class. And what was the logic in choosing the identical group that competed within the Asian Games. There are different contenders as effectively.
“I have been getting calls from wrestlers who thought they were worthy of a place in the Indian team. They said they could have made the team if they were given a fair chance to prove themselves through trials. That is why you need a proper federation in place,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, a WFI supply revealed that the discover for the Executive Committee was issued on December 31.
One of the factors within the circulated agenda is to “explain define and interpret certain provisions of the constitution.” The round clearly talked about, citing the structure, that the President “shall be chief officer of the WFI. He shall be empowered to call meetings of the council and executive, if he deems proper.”
It could also be talked about that the ministry had objected to non-involvement of the secretary common within the December 21 General Council meeting of the WFI.
The WFI had maintained that it had not flouted any rule and that the President, as per the structure, had the facility to take choices and the secretary common was sure to execute these choices.
“We will discuss the formation of the ad-hoc panel and also the hosting of the National Championships in different age groups,” mentioned a supply.
Interestingly, the ad-hoc panel has already introduced that it’ll conduct senior Nationals from February 3 in Jaipur and the age group championships in Gwalior inside next six weeks.
It stays to be seen whether or not the wrestlers, who’re the primary stakeholders within the sport, will select to compete within the occasions organised by WFI or those carried out by the ad-hoc committee.
