WFI president terms ad-hoc committee insignificant after UWW lifted the ban

Sanjay Singh, president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), has welcomed the decision of United World Wrestling (UWW)'s decision to lift the suspension of WFI with immediate effect.

He said that the ad-hoc committee headed by Bhupinder Singh Bajwa is insignificant as UWW has recognized WFI again. The suspension was imposed by UWW on August 23 last year after the national federation failed to hold elections in time.

"I welcome this decision by UWW. Ad-hoc committee holds no significance now. We have been officially recognized, and my suspension has ended. Therefore, seeking legal advice holds no significance for us," Singh, who is known to be a loyalist of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, told PTI.

The UWW has directed the national federation to provide written guarantees that there would be no discriminatory action against the trio of Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, who had protested on the streets of the national capital while demanding the ouster of Brij Bhushan for alleged sexual harassment against multiple women wrestlers.

"I am committed to ensuring that no child's future is jeopardized. Since day one, I have advocated the protection of the future of every wrestler. I will extend invitations to them for the upcoming trials organized by us," Singh said.

The decision of UWW to lift the ban on WFI has left the situation of wrestling in the country in a confused state. While WFI is now internationally recognized, it is banned domestically for violation of the National Sports Code.