New Delhi. United World Wrestling has canceled its membership of the Wrestling Federation of India. This has happened due to not being able to hold elections within 45 days. The elections to the Wrestling Federation of India were proposed on 12 August. But the Punjab-Haryana High Court stayed the election a day before polling. Due to this decision, wrestlers will not be allowed to compete under the Indian flag in the upcoming World Championships.
Indian wrestlers will have to compete as ‘neutral athletes’ in the Olympic-qualifying world championships starting on September 16 after the Bhupinder Singh Bajwa-led ad-hoc committee failed to meet the World Wrestling Federation’s deadline of holding elections in 45 days. Let us tell you that the Indian Olympic Association formed an ad hoc committee on April 27 and this committee was supposed to conduct the elections of the Wrestling Federation of India within 45 days, but the committee failed to do so.
United World Wrestling warned on 28 April that it could suspend the Wrestling Federation of India if the deadline for holding the elections was not respected. “The UWW informed the ad hoc committee on Wednesday night that the WFI has been suspended for not holding its executive committee elections,” an IOA source told PTI.
Originally, the Wrestling Federation of India elections were scheduled to be held on May 7 but the Sports Ministry declared the process invalid. Various state wrestling associations have petitioned the court regarding their participation in the elections. This is the reason why wrestling association elections are getting delayed.
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Tags: wrestling, Wrestling Federation of India
First published: August 24, 2023, 12:37 IST