Sakshi Malik on January 3 insisted that she has no points with the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India if Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh is refrained from the physique.
Malik had introduced her retirement from the game on December 21 in protest towards the election of Sanjay Singh as WFI President.
The 2016 Rio Olympic Games bronze medallist additionally claimed that her mom has been receiving risk calls from former WFI chief Brij Bhushan’s supporters.
Malik, 31, stated they’ll settle for a WFI without Sanjay Singh however dominated out her personal involvement in operating of the federation.
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“We don’t have any issues with the new federation except one man, Sanjay Singh. We don’t have any issue if the new body comes back without Sanjay Singh. We do not have any issue with the ad-hoc committee as well,” Malik informed reporters.
“The government is like parents for us and I would request them to make wrestling safe for the upcoming wrestlers. You have seen how Sanjay Singh has been behaving. I don’t want Sanjay Singh’s interference in the federation,” she added.
“I can only make a request. If the ministry says he won’t come back it will be better. Everybody saw the kind of power abuse by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after the WFI elections. He announced junior nationals at his home without much deliberation.”
Sanjay Singh had defeated 2010 CWG gold medallist Anita Sheoran by an enormous 40-7 margin.
Prem Chand Lochab, who was from the Sheoran panel and had the backing of Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, was elected secretary common.
Sakshi additionally requested the ad-hoc panel to conduct age group nationals on the earliest.
“I don’t want that any young wrestler suffers because of us. The ad-hoc committee has already announced senior nationals and I request the ad-hoc committee to announce the U15, U17 and U20 nationals.”
Fresh protest erupts in Indian wrestling
Junior wrestlers protest towards Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat as their nationwide championship has been withheld at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on January 3, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Interestingly, a whole bunch of junior wrestlers assembled at Jantar Mantar to protest towards the lack of one essential 12 months of their careers, a scenario for which they blamed high grapplers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat.
Malik then revealed that her household is getting threats.
“For past two-three days, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s goons have become active. My mother is getting threats through phone calls. People are calling and saying that a case will be registered against someone in my family.
“People on social media are abusing us however they need to do not forget that they’ve sisters and daughters at their dwelling.” Asked if she would consider becoming a sports administrator, Malik replied in a negative.
“I’m disturbed. We simply need that junior wrestlers to not endure. As of now I haven’t got it in my thoughts.
“We are being blamed for junior wrestlers’ loss and that’s incorrect. If women are involved in running of sport, that will be good,” she stated.
When knowledgeable about junior wrestlers’ protest towards them at Jantar Mantar, Malik stated, “I have given 18-20 years to wrestling. Only I know what I have gone through in the last few months.”
Loaded in buses, the junior wrestlers arrived from completely different elements of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi, catching the police unaware.
Young Indian wrestlers stage protest at Jantar Mantar, demand motion
Close to 300 of them got here from Arya Samaj Akhara in Chhaprauli, Baghpat whereas many others got here from the Virender Wrestling Academy in Narela. The safety personnel struggled to management them as they shouted slogans towards Punia, Malik and Phogat.
The protesters have been carrying banners that learn: ‘UWW save our wrestling from these 3 wrestlers’.
“More than 90% of Akharas (training centres) in U.P. are with us in this protest. There are only three wrestlers on one side and lakhs on the other. They have spoilt the careers of lakhs of wrestlers across the country,” stated Muzaffarnagar stadium coach Pradeep Kumar. “These people have no respect for national awards. They are leaving them on the roads,” Mr. Kumar added, referring to Punia and Phogat returning their authorities honours.
“They kept saying that they were protesting for women and junior wrestlers but they have spoilt careers of lakhs after earning all the laurels. Their protest is only to get top WFI posts. Once that happens, they will stop all protests.” Ironically, nearly a 12 months again on the identical protest website, the highest three wrestlers had managed to draw enormous assist for his or her trigger after they known as for the arrest of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing ladies wrestlers.
Thousands of individuals from completely different sections of society, together with farmers teams, social staff, politicians, ladies’s teams and members of the wrestling fraternity, got here out to assist Malik, Phogat and Punia.
The three are actually going through protests from inside their neighborhood with these assembled at Jantar Mantar, accusing them of ruining their careers.
Since January 2023, nationwide camps and competitions have been on maintain because the WFI has been suspended twice and an ad-hoc panel is operating the game.
“An entire year for these junior wrestlers has gone waste. The new WFI had taken the decision for the welfare of the wrestlers who had not seen even district or state level competitions, leave aside the nationals,” stated Vivek Malik who belongs to the Arya Samaj Akhara.
“But the new body was suspended. This body was elected on the instructions of the court but it wasn’t allowed to work and prove itself even for three days. The suspension should be lifted and the WFI should be allowed to function.
“They had the task of completing the wrestling calender before December 31, so what wrong did they do to warrant the suspension?” he requested.
Those protesting on Wednesday demanded that the suspended WFI be restored after disbanding the ad-hoc panel which has been appointed by the sports activities ministry.
The protesters additionally defaced the placards bearing pictures of Punia, Malik and Phogat earlier than trampling them.
