'I'm so sad to see the visuals of our Athletes.... Please solve this ASAP'
Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik on Thursday advised the country's wrestlers to participate in the Nationals conducted by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur and not in the event organised by the suspended national federation.
The wrestlers have been sitting on protest since April 23, demanding the arrest of WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh alleging that he has sexually harassed seven female grapplers, including one minor.
'Yesterday, all the players spoke openly...the players who live in the camp have more interaction with the Federation, they have shared their experiences there.'
Babita, a former wrestler, arrived at the protest site and heard the demands of the grapplers.
The ad-hoc panel announced that it will host the senior national championships in Jaipur from February 2-5.
The protesting wrestlers and their supporters marched to the Hanuman Temple in New Delhi and will also visit the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara.
Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia said few were trying to steer the movement in a different direction, but refused to name them.
Here are some of the controversies, which cast a shadow on Indian sport as the athletes prepared for the Asian Games.
The trials were initially planned for February 27-29 but got postponed
Last month, the NADA issued a notice on multiple World Championships medallist and Asian Championships gold winner Vinesh Phogat for whereabouts failure for the first time in 12 months. Vinesh has been a part of the RTP since December 2022.
A few Indian stars will have to go through the disappointment of watching all the action from afar.
With the athletes bidding goodbye to Paris after another bone-tingling edition of the Olympics, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com, shares some interesting nuggets that made the Paris Olympics an event to remember!
The reigning U23 Asian champion Sujeet Kalkal slammed the IOA ad-hoc committee for granting direct entry to Bajrang Punia for the Asian Games.
Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra lent his support to the wrestlers who have been protesting against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
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.
When asked about the claims that the minor who was among the grapplers who had accusing WFI chief Bhushan of sexual harassment had taken back her complaint, Malik said, 'This is all fake news to discredit our protest in the eyes of the public and to make us lose public support.'
The following is the timeline of the chain of events that led to the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India by UWW, the sport's global governing body.
Delhi Police file cases against protesting wrestlers, sparking outrage over use of force
The World Championship trials are expected to be held by August 10, giving the wrestlers, who competed in Asian Games selection competition, just about 17 days to be ready for another gruelling contest.
National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma on Thursday said she has sought an action taken report from the Delhi Police Commissioner on the complaints filed by the women wrestlers about alleged sexual harassment.
Amit Kumar of India got the better of Nigeria's Ebikweminomo Welson to clinch the gold medal in the men's 57 kg freestyle wrestling competition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, on Tuesday.
There was no stopping the gold rush in wrestling as two more were added to the tally by Vinesh Phogat (50kg) and Sumit (125kg) but Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik (62kg) had to be content with a third-place finish in the Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast, on Saturday.
Through their triumphs and struggles, these athletes have not only rewritten the narrative of women in sports but have also ignited a flame of empowerment and inspiration, asserts Laxmi Negi.
At around 11 pm, a scuffle broke out at Jantar Mantar between the protesting wrestlers when they were bringing in folding beds for their night stay and the on-duty police personnel allegedly began enquiring about that.
Sports Ministry requests IOA to constitute ad-hoc committee to manage WFI affairs
Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia on Thursday indicated he might withdraw from the Asian Games if all the panchayats that backed him during the protest at Jantar Mantar ask him to do so.
Deaflympics gold medallist Virender Singh Yadav, better known as Goonga Pehlwan, has now decided to return his Padma Shri to the government, showing solidarity with the country's top wrestlers.
The Indian Olympic Association on Monday dissolved the ad-hoc committee for wrestling, saying "there is no further need" for it to continue after revocation of the suspension on the national federation, which now gets complete administrative control of the sport.
Madhav was injured during the scuffle with the protesting wrestlers when they were detained, the FIR sated.
The country's top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, have been protesting since April 23, demanding criminal action against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Previously, Usha had on April 27 said that the wrestlers should have approached the IOA instead of going out in the streets against the WFI and its president, whom the wrestlers accused of sexual harassment and mismanagement of athletes.
Demand disbanding of WFI
Sakshi Malik, one of the prominent faces of the agitation against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, welcomed the WFI's suspension.
The coaches and parents of several established and upcoming wrestlers on Friday demanded withdrawal of exemption granted to Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia.
Azad, who had joined the protesting wrestlers at the Jantar Mantar on Monday evening but was asked to leave the venue at night by the authorities, returned to the site on Tuesday with his followers.
Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sarita Mor and Sakshi Malik, who staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar for three days demanding the sacking of the WFI president, posted identical tweets on the micro-blogging site, expressing their dismay.
The wrestlers refused to back down from their demand that the government immediately disband the Wrestling Federation of India.
UWW will not interfere in the pending case relating to the alleged sexual harassment of Indian women grapplers by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh but will "listen to the voices of athletes" if they approach the world body again, its chief Nenad Lalovic said on Monday.
The protesting wrestlers refrained from immersing their medals in the river Ganges after being convinced by Khap and farmer leaders who sought five days to address their grievances.
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