Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia on December 30 has called upon the Sports Ministry to resume wrestling activities in the country, highlighting the urgency with just seven months remaining until the Paris Games next year. He expressed concern that preparations for the quadrennial event have not been taken seriously.
The wrestling community has faced a prolonged hiatus due to internal conflicts, particularly the protests by grapplers against former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Despite the election of a new Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) committee, normalcy remains elusive as the Sports Ministry suspended the Sanjay Singh-led panel, citing a violation of its own constitution in the announcement of the national U-15 and U-20 Championships.
"Wrestling activities have come to a standstill for the last several months. Neither has any nationals been held nor have any camps been organised to prepare the players (for Paris Olympics)," Punia wrote on his 'X' account.
The 29-year-old, who had opted to return his Padma Shri in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh, a supporter of Brij Bhushan, emphasised that immediate attention is required for Olympic preparations.
"There is an Olympic Games after seven months but no one seems serious about it. Wrestling has given four consecutive medals in the last four Olympics,” he said.
Punia, a 65kg freestyle bronze winner in the Tokyo Olympics, said the officials should keep in mind the players’ future.
"So, I request the Sports Ministry to start all wrestling activities as soon as possible so that the future of the players can be saved,” he added.
In recent days, a series of protest actions by wrestlers gained prominence, with Sakshi Malik opting to retire from wrestling, and Vinesh Phogat choosing to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. This decision was conveyed in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by PTI)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Watch: Pat Cummins brutally silences Mohammad Hafeez for 'Pakistan played better than Australia' remark; video viral
Mohammad Hafeez lashes out at third umpire for giving Mohammad Rizwan out, says ‘technology turned out to be a curse’
