CHENNAI: With only a day remaining in the senior national wrestling championship to be organised by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur, various affiliated state units of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday claimed they didn't send their respective teams for the event raising questions over participation in the tournament.
Notably, the WFI, which has been abstained from working by the sports ministry, had already organised the senior nationals in Pune from January 29 to 31. The organisers claimed that more than 20 state units out of 26 participated in the nationals. The sports ministry even warned the WFI from hosting the championship as it issued a letter on Tuesday saying any event conducted by the NSF will be treated as 'unsanctioned and unrecognised'.
"Wrestlers from Tamil Nadu Amateur Wrestling Association took part in the Pune nationals. We didn't send the team for the Jaipur event," M Loganathan, general secretary of the state association told this daily. Adding further, he said, "I am not aware if any wrestlers from Tamil Nadu are competing in Jaipur but in nationals, only an affiliated state unit can send the entries. So if any wrestlers from the state compete in Jaipur then also that would not be considered official entry."
Office-bearers from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh also echoed the sentiments. "Wrestlers from Madhya Pradesh not only took part in the Pune competition but also won medals," Suresh Yadav, secretary of the MP Amateur Wrestling Association, told this daily.
Meanwhile, Bhupender Singh Bajwa, chairperson of the three-member ad-hoc committee, while speaking to this daily affirmed that the hosts Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) will organise memorable nationals.
"Indian Olympic Association appointed Ad-hoc Committee of WFI is organising the 2023 Senior Free Style, Greco Roman Style and Women National Wrestling Championship at Jaipur, Rajasthan from 2nd to 5th February 2024. 600-700 wrestlers from more than 20 states/units including eminent wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Antim Panghal, Anshu Malik, Sarita Mor, Sunil Kumar, Yash, Sagar Jaglan, Deepak Punia, Nisha, Narender Cheema, Ravinder Khatri, Lalita etc will participate in Senior National Wrestling Championship. Top wrestling teams of India i.e. Indian Railways, Services, Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab etc. will participate in this event," said a statement issued by the panel.
The panel also cited the letter of the sports ministry dated January 30 wherein it said that only the ad-hoc body is authorised to organise the wrestling events in the country.
The Ministry in the letter to the WFI has said, "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 unsanctioned/unrecognized 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."
Meanwhile, Sanjay Kumar Singh, the WFI president, replied to the letter on Thursday saying the WFI as a society has been functioning under its bye-laws and regulations.