CHENNAI: A day after the senior national championships, organised by the Wrestling Federation of India, got underway in Pune, the sports ministry issued a letter to the WFI on Tuesday saying any event conducted by the NSF will be treated as unsanctioned and unrecognised.
The ministry, through the letter, also affirmed that events organised by the Indian Olympic Association-formed ad-hoc committee would be treated as recognised competitions and government benefits would accrue only to the sports persons participating in such tournaments.
"This has reference to the Ministry’s letter dated 07.01.2024 whereby it had categorically been made clear that any championship or competition organized by the suspended Executive Committee/Members of the WFI will be treated as an un- sanctioned/un-recognized competition, and that only the IOA appointed Ad Hoc Committee for Wrestling would be authorized to conduct the national wrestling championships for various age groups which shall be treated as recognized competitions and, that Government benefits would accrue only to the sports persons participating in such championships organized by the Ad Hoc Committee," the ministry's letter read.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, WFI president, confirmed that he has received the letter and said a reply will be sent to the ministry soon. He, however, affirmed that the nationals will continue as only the WFI has the mandate to organise national championships. "We never resorted to confrontations. In fact, I sought time from the ministry soon after the federation was abstained from functioning. I haven't got a reply yet. We will soon reply to the latest letter. The tournament will go on as scheduled," the WFI president told this daily.
Meanwhile, the ministry also slammed comments recently made by Sanjay Singh over recognition of the WFI. "Reports have been received from various quarters and the media that you are conducting some national level championships/competitions at Pune from 29th to 31st January, 2024. Further, based on an interview of yourself given to a national newspaper published on 30.01.2024, certain completely baseless statements have emerged which are causing confusion and anxiety among the athletes and others concerned with Wrestling. Further, certain claims are being made by you pertaining to the recognition of the currently under-suspension Executive Committee of the WFI and about the competitions being held by you at Pune are being made, which are again absolutely baseless and mischievous," added the letter, which has been copied to the Indian Olympic president, chairman of the ad-hoc committee and director general of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
"In light of the above, you are hereby strongly advised to desist from making any further unsubstantiated claims regarding the status of the Wrestling Federation of India. Please be advised that failure to adhere to this caution may compel the Ministry to consider further legal action, including but not limited to legal proceedings for spreading misinformation and unsubstantiated claims and any other relevant charges as per the laws of the country," the ministry said through the letter.
Notably, the WFI's event is slated to conclude on Wednesday while the ad-hoc body's tournament is scheduled in Jaipur from February 2 to 5. A meeting of the ad-hoc panel was being held at the IOA Bhawan in New Delhi in this regard on Tuesday evening.
