Days After WFI's Suspension, Indian Olympic Association Forms Temporary Committee To Manage Wrestling Matters

Following the Centre's suspension of the newly elected administration of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has established a provisional committee to manage WFI's operations.

The committee is being led by Bhupinder Singh Bajwa, with MM Somaya and Manjusha Kanwar serving as members. The IOA announced that it would be establishing a new provisional committee to guarantee impartiality, responsibility, and openness.

The IOC chief, PT Usha, recently issued a letter stating that the newly appointed President and officials of the WFI have been making arbitrary decisions in breach of their own constitutional provisions, NDTV reported.

Notably, earlier Sunday (24 December), the Sports Ministry had suspended the WFI until further notice after the newly-elected body, led by Sanjay Singh, hastily announced the organisation of the U-15 and U-20 nationals without providing sufficient notice for wrestlers to prepare.

The WFI elections, conducted on 21 December, saw the victory of Sanjay Singh and his panel, who were loyalists of former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

"The newly elected body has deviated from the WFI constitution. It's not a termination but a suspension until further instructions. Compliance with due process and regulations is all that is required," clarified a sports ministry official to PTI.