New Delhi: It is often said that sports should be kept separate from politics, but in 2024, politics dominated Indian wrestling. Once considered a guarantee for Olympic success, the sport has been marred by administrative turmoil, with no signs of resolution. The heartbreak of Vinesh Phogat losing a seemingly guaranteed medal at the Paris Olympics added to the disappointment. From the Indian Wrestling Federation’s elections a year ago to the recent National Championship in Bengaluru, Indian wrestling has seemed like a rudderless ship.
There was a time when wrestling was considered one of India’s top medal prospects in the Olympics, but at the Paris Olympics, except for Aman Sehrawat’s bronze, India’s performance was empty. Unfortunately, Vinesh Phogat’s gold was almost within reach but slipped away. Unable to secure a place in her favored weight class for the Olympics, Vinesh tried her luck in a lower category. She defeated Japan’s legendary wrestler Yui Susaki in the first round, but on the final day, she was disqualified for being 100 grams over the weight limit.
The next day, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling. Upon returning home, she was welcomed like a hero. She then entered politics, joining the Congress party, and won a seat in the Haryana Legislative Assembly from Julana. Bajrang Punia also joined Congress, but his fate wasn’t as fortunate as Vinesh’s. During training camps, he failed to submit his doping test samples, leading to a four-year ban. Prior to that, he couldn’t qualify for the Paris Olympics. After winning a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, his career graph took a nosedive this year.
Vinesh and Bajrang continuously stated that their fight against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over the alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers was not political. However, after joining Congress, their fellow wrestler and Rio Olympics bronze medalist, Sakshi Malik, criticized them in her book, suggesting that greed had affected their performance. The next generation of wrestlers, like Anshu Malik and Amit Panghal, failed to impress at the Paris Olympics. However, Aman Sehrawat, continuing the tradition of Chhatrasal Stadium, won a bronze in men’s freestyle 57kg. In the same weight category, Ravi Dahiya had won a relief medal at the Tokyo Games, but injuries and poor form pushed him to the sidelines.
India had won two medals in wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics, but the events of the past year have significantly set back Indian wrestling. It’s not that there is a lack of potential or talent. India’s under-17 women’s team won the World Championship in Amman, Jordan, in September, defeating powerhouses like Japan and Kazakhstan, securing eight medals, including five golds. The new administration of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), led by Sanjay Singh, is still awaiting the lifting of the suspension imposed by the Ministry of Sports. The suspension was imposed because the WFI announced the National Championship in December 2023 without giving the required 15-day notice. If the WFI had waited for the notice period, the wrestlers would have lost an entire year, as the 15 days would have expired before 2024 began.
Due to a petition by Sakshi Malik and her husband, wrestler Satyavrat Kadian, the WFI had to withdraw the senior World Championship team. After government intervention, the team was eventually sent. There have been no coaching camps for the past two years, and plans to restart the Pro Wrestling League are currently on hold. Grants and sponsorships have been paused, and there are no foreign or private coaches. Currently, both the direction and condition of Indian wrestling remain uncertain.
