WFI President Sanjay Singh on Monday said India have the potential to win four to five medals in women's wrestling at the 2028 Olympic Games but for that to happen "a couple of institutions" will have to stop interfering in day-to-day functioning of the national federation. (More Sports News)
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) remains suspended by the Sports Ministry even as world governing body UWW had lifted its suspension in February following con𓂃duct of its election.
The ministry had suspended WFI on December 24, three days after it held e♓lections where Sanjay Singh was elected the new President.
Ministry's aღction came in the wake of WFI's announcement of hosting U-15 and U-20 Nationals, hours after the el♔ection.
Ministry said the announcement was against the the rules since a 15-day notice was req♏uired so that players could prepare.&ไnbsp;
WFI had maintaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚined that young wrestlers would have lost one year if it waited for 15 days since 2023 season would have finished by then.
IOA, on being asked by the ministry,ꦏ had formed an ad-hoc pan🉐el to run the federation but dissolved the panel recently. However, the ministry is yet to lift its suspension.
"If WFI is allowed to do its work independently and a couple of institutions stop interfering in our functioning, we can get the country four to five medals in women's wrestling in the next Olympics," Sanjay Singh told PTI.
The WFI President's comment has two days after India's U17 women team won the World title, riding on a ph🍨enomenal performance in Amman where five Indian wrestlers emerged world champions apart from winning a silver aꦫnd two bronze.
Sanjay Singh also urged Vinesh Phogat to reconsider her retirement decision.
Vinesh announced her retirement from the sport after missing out on a medal at the Paris Olympics. She w🅺as disqualified after weighing 100 grams more befor🌞e the women's 50kg final.
"If Vinesh Phogat has to play pure wrestling, she should reconsider her decision of retirement as the new gene💫ration of women wrestlers will get inspiration from her and 𝔉move forward.
"The way she is sharing a political platform nowadays, if she has to do politics (in future),🌱 then she should not do politics in wrestling."
On speculation that Phogat might enter th🍎e political arena, Singh refused to comment saying it was a personal matter of the 30-year-old wrestler. He said he would extend full support to Phogat if she returns to competitive wrestling.
Singh also sa๊id that the movement of the ꦆcountry's wrestlers in 2023 has given the WFI a "very big lesson".
The agitation was launche💦d against the then WFI president Brij Bhushan S🐭haran Singh in an alleged sexual harassment case.
"We were expecting Indian wrestlers to win six medals in the Paris Olympics but wrestling a🅘ctivities were stopped for 18 months under the conspiracy of anti-national forces. Due to this movement, the country could get only one medal in the Olympics," he said.
"I want 💃to keep wrestling and politics separate. So I don't want to name anyone who started this movement, but it is because of politics entering wrestling that this fate has happened to wrestling at the Paris Olympics," he said.
He also informed that WFI is considering opening a wrestling academy in Ujjain, the religious city♕ of Madhya Pradesh.
The state Chief Minis𒊎ter Mohan Yadav is the president of the state wre꧒stling association.
"Initial discussion with the chief minister regarding the plan to open a wrestling a🎐cadem𒁃y in Ujjain is already underway," he added.
