Wrestlers Miss Key Tournaments as Wrestling Federation of India and Government Clash
Indian wrestlers are facing a tough time as a long-standing fight between the Wrestling Federation of India and the government stops them from competing in important tournaments. Shivanee Pawar, a wrestler who won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships, wanted to start her 2025 season by competing in two big events: the Zagreb Ranking Series in Croatia and the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in Albania. But she missed both tournaments because of problems beyond her control.
“It is very stressful for us,” Shivanee said. “For the past two years, we have not had many competitions in India. We are just practicing, but we need to compete.”
The problem is that the international wrestling body, United World Wrestling (UWW), recognizes the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), but the Indian sports ministry has not lifted its suspension. The ministry suspended the WFI in December 2023. Recently, the Delhi High Court criticized the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for not forming a new committee to run the WFI. The court said that the IOA’s decision to dissolve a previous committee was wrong.
The WFI, led by Sanjay Singh, says they sent all the necessary paperwork for the Albania tournament to the sports ministry well in advance, including the list of players and visa requests. However, they did not receive any response. Because they did not hear back, they had to remove the wrestlers’ names from the competition.
According to UWW rules, only the recognized federation can enter players for competitions using their online system.
“We did not get approval from the Sports Ministry,” Sanjay Singh said. “We sent all the details by email on January 30. They asked for more information, and we sent that on February 3. But we did not get any reply. We had time until February 15 or 16. Earlier, these requests were cleared in one week.”
It is normal for federations to send a list of athletes to the sports ministry for approval. The ministry also uses these lists to decide on funding for overseas trips.
Sources from the sports ministry say they are aware of the wrestlers’ problems and are trying to find a solution that will help the athletes without causing more issues.
Missing two Ranking Series tournaments has serious consequences. Indian wrestlers might not be ready for the Asian Championships next month in Jordan, if they are even able to travel. Ranking points from these tournaments help wrestlers get better seedings at the World Championships, which means they have a better chance of avoiding top wrestlers in the early rounds.
Kuldeep Singh, a wrestling coach with the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), said, “Ranking series and other such tournaments are important for preparing for big events like the World Championships and Continental championships.”
The wrestlers who were selected for the Albania tournament tried to meet with sports minister Mandaviya, but he was not available. “We went to meet the sports minister to ask him to send the team to Albania,” Shivanee said. “We were told he would meet us at noon, but later we found out he was not available.”
After missing two ranking tournaments in two months, wrestlers are very worried. “There is no certainty about anything,” said Mandeep, coach of Paris Olympian Reetika Hooda. “We don’t know what will happen or when. Earlier, wrestlers knew when to prepare for tournaments and when to rest. Now, we don’t know anything.”
Kuldeep added that it is hard to know how well a wrestler is performing without regular competitions. “There is no point in just practicing. Playing in these tournaments is important for young wrestlers. As coaches, we can also analyze their mistakes and their level.”
Shivanee also said that the lack of national championships can hurt wrestlers’ job prospects. “It is causing a lot of harm to younger kids who cannot play in age group tournaments and are losing valuable time. Because there are no national championships, players are also missing out on government jobs.”
Mandeep believes that the next generation of wrestlers will be affected by the problems. “The impact of not participating in these tournaments and the lack of competitions will be seen in the future. The next generation is losing out on valuable experience.”
The sports ministry suspended the WFI officials, including Sanjay Singh, because they did not follow the proper rules during the elections. Sanjay’s team was supported by former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by six women wrestlers in 2023. The trial against Singh is ongoing in a Delhi court, and charges have been filed against him.
The ongoing administrative mess is creating a very difficult situation for Indian wrestlers. They need to compete regularly to stay in top form and to improve their rankings. The lack of competitions is affecting their chances to succeed in big tournaments and is also impacting their future careers. The wrestlers hope that the government and the federation can resolve their issues soon so they can get back to competing.
