News Brief
Minister of Sports Anurag Thakur.
The Sports Ministry took action on Sunday (24 December) by suspending the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) until further notice.
The decision came after the newly-elected WFI body, led by Sanjay Singh, hastily announced the organisation of the U-15 and U-20 nationals without providing sufficient notice for wrestlers to prepare as reported by Deccan Herald.
The WFI elections, conducted on 21 December, saw the victory of Sanjay Singh and his panel, who were loyalists of former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The source provided additional details regarding the rationale behind the suspension.
He stated, "On the day of his election as president on 21 December 2023, Sanjay Kumar Singh, the newly-elected WFI president, hastily announced the organisation of U-15 and U-20 national wrestling championships in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) by the year-end. This announcement was made without adequate notice to participating wrestlers and without adhering to the provisions outlined in the WFI constitution."
He further added, "According to clause 3 (e) of the WFI constitution's preamble, one of the objectives of WFI is to facilitate the organisation of Senior, Junior, and Sub-Junior National Championships in accordance with UWW Rules at locations determined by the Executive Committee."