Sushil Kumar's fight for an Olympic berth suffered another blow with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) strongly hinting that they would prefer Narsingh Yadav for the Rio event by insisting on not having a trial given the quota winner's "consistent performances". Following the Delhi High Court directive, a special WFI committee, formed on the instruction of the court, held a meeting with the two-time Olympic medallist, to sort out as to who between Sushil and Narsingh would represent India in the men's 74kg freestyle category at the mega-event in August. "Sushil has put forward his views before the committee and has maintained what he has been saying since the very beginning that he should get a chance to undergo a trial," WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told reporters in New Delhi. "We have told him that 'you have put Indian wrestling at a pedestal and we cannot ignore your contribution and we all respect you'. But on the other hand, there is another wrestler who has brought the Olympic quota and also has been giving consistent performances. So, can we be unfair to him also?" Brij Bhushan added.
A day after a scuffle between agitating wrestlers and police personnel, the police Thursday beefed up security and surveillance at Jantar Mantar and at Delhi borders, deploying additional manpower, bolstering CCTV coverage and raising barricades to prevent the entry of farmers who were coming to support the grapplers.
Sangeeta Phogat, one of the six wrestlers who protested against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar, on Saturday won a bronze medal in the non-Olympic 59kg category.
"Owaisi is an old friend of mine. As far as I know, he was 'Kshatriya' (Hindu) earlier. He is a descendent of Lord Ram, not the one belonging to Iran," said Singh.
The allegations were levelled by prominent grapplers such as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya.
Demand disbanding of WFI
'The Sports Minister (Anurag Thakur) should speak out. The Prime Minister should speak out, there should be resignations, and heads should roll immediately.'
We did not ask for exemption from trials, just asked for time to prepare: Wrestlers
Yogeshwar asked all the wrestlers to approach IOA and lodge their protest against such unfair decision.
The Indian sporting fraternity reacted with disappointment at the (CAS verdict rejecting wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her Olympic disqualification.
Shoving and pushing ensued between the wrestlers and the police officers.
Thackeray on Sunday said he had deferred his visit to Ayodhya in UP as there was ploy to "trap" his party workers into legal issues.
Mahavir said he had advised her niece on the playing strategy against her strong rivals.
A fresh date for Wresting Federation of India's (WFI) long-pending elections is likely to be announced on Wednesday after the Supreme Court set aside the stay imposed by Punjab and Haryana High Court, a member of the IOA-appointed ad hoc committee said.
The protesting wrestlers had also threatened return their medals and awards, including the Padma Shri, to the government after they were allegedly mistreated by the Delhi Police on Wednesday night.
India will go unrepresented in five categories at the upcoming Zagreb Open in Croatia as Bajrang Punia, Antim Panghal and three others didn't give consent for their selection to the ad-hoc panel that announced a 13-member team on Tuesday.
'Resigning as president of Wrestling Federation of India is not a big deal for me, but I will not resign as a criminal.'
Besides legendary boxer MC Mary Kom and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, the panel includes archer Dola Banerjee and Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) president and IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav.
'We will buy coolers if the need arises. It's very hot out there. We had brought Rs two lakh cash with us but have already spent about 5-6 lakh rupees so far.'
The wrestlers said they are surprised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitates them and clicks pictures with them when they win medals but now he has turned a blind eye to their plight.
Punia had trained in Russia to prepare for the trials, which are being organised by the IOA ad-hoc panel.
'We will appear in the trials only if the ad-hoc panel or the government conducts it. How can a suspended body announce the trials.'
There are enough threads left to weave a Season 4, hopefully without the dark clouds hovering over Phulera.
'When our daughters, wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Vignesh Phogat, were protesting at the Jantar Mantar, the police kicked them with their shoes.'
'When a BJP MP was accused of harassment and molestation by our champion wrestlers, we did not hear one word out of the women and child development minister'
The WFI will resume national camp from March 27, after after almost 16 months with Sonepat and Gandhinagar in Gujarat to be the likely venues for men and women respectively.
The wrestlers have been protesting for nearly a week demanding action against Singh, also a Bharatiya Janata Party MP, on sexual harassment allegations levelled by seven women players.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also attributed the former sportswoman's stand to her Rajya Sabha seat.
'This fight is not just theirs -- it is for all women in our country.'
Wrestlers' protest take political colour, farmer leaders also support athletes
Bajrang skips Worlds trials in Patiala, set to leave for Kyrgyzstan to prepare for Asian Games
WFI obtains accreditation of Vinesh Phogat's coach and physio for Asia Olympic qualifier
Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar on Monday got engaged to Savi, daughter of his coach Satpal Singh, at a private ceremony in New Delhi attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
If CAS rules in Vinesh's favour, she will be awarded a joint-silver in the women's 50kg freestyle category.
The visits come against the backdrop of complaints from the Khan camp that Akhilesh Yadav has been 'ignoring' the party veteran and the Muslim community, though it backed the SP in the recent assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt on Thursday termed the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India by the international body as "very distressing".
Check out how India's athletes fared on Day 11, Tuesday, August 6, 2024:
'I believe that the competent authorities are working on to resolve the issue.'
The father of the minor wrestler said that they deliberately filed a false complaint against WFI chief because they wanted to get back at him.
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