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Amid Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) standoff, India's eight wrestlers including big guns Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have opted out of the upcoming Zagreb Open. It has been learnt that the wrestlers have withdrawn from the tournament citing they are not ready for the tournament. Meanwhile, Anju has withdrawn from the Zagreb Open due to injury.
Earlier, on Wednesday (January 25), the oversight committee-led by Mary Kom, who is managing the WFI affairs, named a 36-member Indian squad for the Ranking Series Zagreb Open which is scheduled to be started from February 1 in Croatia.
The top wrestlers had earlier demanded the sacking of WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during their three-day protest at Jantar Mantar and said that they will not compete in any national or international tournament till India's Wrestling federation is diluted. The wrestlers withdrew from the competition on the day of team announcement.
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (57kg), world championship medallist Deepak Punia (86kg), talented youngster Anshu Malik (57kg), Bajrang's wife Sangeeta Phogat (62kg), Sarita Mor (59kg) and Jitendra Kinha (79kg), have all communicated along with Vinesh (53kg) and Bajrang (65kg) that they will not be able to compete.
It is the first tournament for Indian wrestlers in the 2023 season, which is packed with crucial events including the Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics Qualifiers.
Earlier on Tuesday (January 24), Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sarita Mor, India's top wrestlers, voiced dismay that they were not informed before the Oversight Committee was constituted, despite assurances that they would be. On Monday, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the formation of an oversight committee to investigate sexual harassment charges levelled against the WFI and its president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Mary Kom, a boxing legend and Olympic medalist, will lead the five-member Oversight Committee.
A day after the names of the committee members were announced on Monday (January 23), Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia tweeted that despite the government promising to consult them in the matter, they weren't. Tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Punia Tweeted: "We were assured that we would be consulted before the Oversight Committee was formed. It is very sad that we were not even consulted before the formation of this committee."
WFI and its president, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, have been in the limelight after top Indian wrestlers accused Singh of sexual harassment last week and went on strike to demand an investigation. The wrestlers had accused Singh, who is also a BJP MP, of acting like a dictator and sexually harassing junior wrestlers. The wrestlers did not reveal the identity of the athletes who faced sexual harassment.
