In January 2023, national wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat had called for a protest against the then president of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Singh. Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh has claimed that India has won the least number of medals in the 2024 Olympics. He claimed this in an interview given to Times of India.
The wrestlers have not been able to practice regularly due to the ongoing agitation since last year. That's why they didn't do well in the Olympics, "Singh said. After Brij Bhushan Singh was removed from the post, Sanjay Singh was given this responsibility.
"The protesters have been agitating for about 14 to 15 months. All the players were distracted. Not only in one category, but even in other categories of wrestling, the competitors could not practice properly. He did not participate in national and international tournaments. As a result, they could not perform well in the Olympics, "Singh said.
Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat have accused wrestler Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual harassment. The protest led to the questioning of Brijbhushan Singh. Following this, a case was registered against him. As a result, he was removed from this post and Sanjay Singh was appointed. However, Sakshi Malik retired from the game after the post went to a close aide of Brij Bhushan Singh. She is the only Indian athlete to win a medal in wrestling.
The wait continues
Vinesh had won three consecutive matches on August 6 to enter the final of the 50kg freestyle wrestling event and secure a silver medal. Because the gold medal match was to be held on the night of August 7, but on the same morning, Vinesh was disqualified because she was overweight by 100 grams before the match.
Her first demand was that she be allowed to play the gold medal match. However, her request was immediately turned down. After this, Vinesh requested her to get a silver medal in this competition. The decision will be made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on August 10. However, he died 24 hours later on August 11. The decision has now been postponed from August 11 to August 13. So we have to wait again.