CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: Days, after Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha called the protesting wrestlers, lacked discipline and that they are damaging the image of the country, she paid a visit to Jantar Mantar on Wednesday. Over the last few days Usha had been criticized for not showing enough sensitivity in supporting the top wrestlers – Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat – who had been protesting against beleaguered Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Two FIRs have been registered after the wrestlers alleged sexual harassment and seven filed police complaint.
What surprised everyone about Usha’s visit is that it has been close to four months that the wrestlers had began their protest in January and she had been non-committal on her support. Despite wrestlers spending time at Jantar Mantar, she has not visited once during first protest or the second one. It is understood that the sports ministry too were baffled by the visit.
Even her colleagues in the IOA did not know about her decision and only when she reached the venue did everyone find out. “Initially, when she said that, we felt very bad but then she said that her comments were misinterpreted. She said that she is first an athlete and then an administrator and that she is with us,” said Bajrang. Usha was there for almost an hour and was seen interacting with the wrestlers and was seen heckled by some of the supporters of the protest.
Who runs wrestling? asks UWW
The United World Wrestling (UWW) chief Nenad Lalovic has written to the WFI and asked who is running the sport in the country. “It is not clear who exactly enters the athletes in the UWW events and who is in charge of the daily management of the federation. It seems that the Secretary General of the WFI is still in place and works actively,” he wrote.
“The information that UWW received from the media these days is that the investigation report on alleged harassment and abuse by Mr Singh has been finalised in early April and was forwarded to the Ministry of Sport…I am very concerned about all this and I urge you to provide UWW with official and accurate information about the situation.”
The WFI replied saying the government’s directive to IOA to form an ad hoc committee amounts to government interference. “We were going to write to UWW asking for an Observer for the said elections but the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India interfered and issued direction that the election was null and void and the same would be conducted by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) which is against the rule of IOC Charter,” WFI letter said.
Inputs from Agencies