Wrestlers may have to compete under neutral flag in Worlds, Asiad

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Ranking Series scheduled to begin on Thursday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and U23 & 17 Asian Championships in the same city commencing on June 10 could be Indian wrestlers’ last international events under the tri-colour. A statement issued by the United World Wrestling (UWW) on the ongoing crisis in Indian wrestling at least suggests so.

“UWW will request further information about the next elective general assembly from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Ad-hoc Committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The 45-day deadline that was initially set to hold this elective assembly shall be respected. Failing to do so may lead UWW to suspend the federation, thereby forcing the athletes to compete under a neutral flag,” read the statement issued by the UWW on Tuesday.

Notably, IOA on April 27 formed a two-member ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of the WFI in the wake of the wrestlers’ protests. The IOA also said that it will appoint a retired High Court judge to the ad-hoc committee for a fair and transparent election. However, the IOA has yet not made the appointment, which could have marked the beginning of the election process. A 45-day deadline was set for elections at the time. A month has already passed and it’s almost impossible to hold elections by the given deadline as a minimum 21-day notice will be required to call an annual general meeting for the polls.

The year will witness high-profile events like World Championships, which will also be a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Asian Games. Apart from these tournaments, the Indian wrestlers are also scheduled to compete in the U20 & 15 Asian Championships and another Ranking Series scheduled in Budapest, Hungary in July. However, in the absence of the elected body, the Indian wrestlers will be left with no option but to compete under the neutral flag. The UWW also expressed concerns over the treatment meted out to protesting wrestlers wherein they were dragged and shoved while marching towards the new Parliament on Sunday before being detained. The Delhi police also registered FIRs against the wrestlers under various sections of the IPC and PDPP Acts. 

“The events of these last days are even more worrying that the wrestlers were arrested and temporarily detained by the police for initiating a march of protest. The site where they had been protesting for more than a month has also been cleared out by the authorities. UWW firmly condemns the treatment and detention of the wrestlers. It expresses its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations so far.”  The UWW through the statement assured that it will hold a meeting with the wrestlers. 

<br /> CHENNAI: The Ranking Series scheduled to begin on Thursday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and U23 & 17 Asian Championships in the same city commencing on June 10 could be Indian wrestlers’ last international events under the tri-colour. A statement issued by the United World Wrestling (UWW) on the ongoing crisis in Indian wrestling at least suggests so.</p> <p>“UWW will request further information about the next elective general assembly from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Ad-hoc Committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The 45-day deadline that was initially set to hold this elective assembly shall be respected. Failing to do so may lead UWW to suspend the federation, thereby forcing the athletes to compete under a neutral flag,” read the statement issued by the UWW on Tuesday.</p> <p>Notably, IOA on April 27 formed a two-member ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of the WFI in the wake of the wrestlers’ protests. The IOA also said that it will appoint a retired High Court judge to the ad-hoc committee for a fair and transparent election. However, the IOA has yet not made the appointment, which could have marked the beginning of the election process. A 45-day deadline was set for elections at the time. A month has already passed and it’s almost impossible to hold elections by the given deadline as a minimum 21-day notice will be required to call an annual general meeting for the polls.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.84 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.84 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The year will witness high-profile events like World Championships, which will also be a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Asian Games. Apart from these tournaments, the Indian wrestlers are also scheduled to compete in the U20 & 15 Asian Championships and another Ranking Series scheduled in Budapest, Hungary in July. However, in the absence of the elected body, the Indian wrestlers will be left with no option but to compete under the neutral flag. The UWW also expressed concerns over the treatment meted out to protesting wrestlers wherein they were dragged and shoved while marching towards the new Parliament on Sunday before being detained. The Delhi police also registered FIRs against the wrestlers under various sections of the IPC and PDPP Acts. </p> <p>“The events of these last days are even more worrying that the wrestlers were arrested and temporarily detained by the police for initiating a march of protest. The site where they had been protesting for more than a month has also been cleared out by the authorities. UWW firmly condemns the treatment and detention of the wrestlers. It expresses its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations so far.”  The UWW through the statement assured that it will hold a meeting with the wrestlers. <br />