New Delhi, April 24: Remember the months long protests by Indian wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)? A section of wrestlers had severely opposed the arbitrary ways of the wrestling body, and the then WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's alleged misbehaviour with some female wrestlers.
A lot has happened since then. The WFI has elected a new president Sanjay Singh. The protesting wrestlers however, have opposed him as he is a Brij Bhushan Singh loyalist. The matter also reached the United World Wrestling (UWW).
But the latest developments is, as per the UWW advise, the WFI has formed Athletes' Commission. On Wednesday, former Commonwealth Games (CWG) Gold Medallist Narsingh Pancham Yadav was elected chairman of the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) Athletes' Commission in New Delhi..
According to information received, a total of eight candidates were in fray for the seven positions and after polling, conducted on ballot paper, seven members got elected. They then chose Narsingh as chairman of the commission.
While lifting suspension of WFI, the United World Wrestling (UWW) had clearly stated that the move was subject to the Sanjay Singh-led national federation constituting an athletes' commission to resolve the grievances of the grapplers.
Last year, six top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat sat on a protest at the Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of the then WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing women wrestlers.
Later new members were appointed in the federation, ending Brij Bhushan Singh’s tenure.
But who is Narsingh Yadav?
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 74 kg category. He was banned for four years in 2016 for failing dope tests.
Having won a bronze at the World Championships qualified Narsingh to the 2016 Rio Olympics but Sushil Kumar, who had missed the 2016 Summer Games qualification event due to injury, asked for a trial between himself and Narsingh and moved the Delhi High Court.
It was only after his appeal was rejected that it was confirmed that Narsingh was going to Rio. However, Yadav failed two anti-doping tests. He tested positive for methandienone, which he asserted was to "sabotage" his chances of competing at the Olympics, following which he was given a clean chit by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
The World Anti-Doping Agency later challenged the decision and the case was moved to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). A day prior to Yadav's first bout at the Olympics, on August 18 2016, he was handed a four-year ban by the CAS.
But will all the issues related to the wrestlers' grievances be addressed? Well, if steps are taken with honest intentions and all sincerity, then definitely nothing is impossible. Let's hope the new panel headed by Narsingh Yadav takes the right steps and all issues raised by the protesting werstlers are resolved. (With IANS support)
