United World Wrestling chief Nenad Lalovic wants all stake-holders, including the WFI and IOA, to co-operate so that Indian grapplers are not inconvenienced by uncertainty prevailing in the sport and can enter international competitions in the crucial Olympic year.
Lalovic, in his letter to the IOA ad-hoc panel in-charge of wrestling, said UWW is willing to give recognition to the new Wrestling Federation of India if the Indian Olympic Association gives a “formal confirmation”.
Several Olympic qualifying events are lined up this year with woman grappler Antim Panghal being the only one from India to have secured a Paris 2024 berth, while the others have disappointed because of lack of training camps and competitions for more than a year due to protests by Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat.
The three top wrestlers are demanding the arrest of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing women grapplers.
“The WFI and the IOA are requested to cooperate so that the athletes are not prejudiced and are duly entered in international UWW events under the same conditions as detailed in our suspension letter of August 23, 2023. We thank you for your attention and collaboration for the sake of all wrestlers in India,” said the UWW president in his letter.
UWW also said it was “well-informed” about the newly-elected WFI under Sanjay Singh and was waiting for IOA to confirm the results of the elections.
“UWW has been well-informed of the results of the Wrestling Federation of India’s elections held on December 21, 2023 under the supervision of a former judge of the Delhi High Court.
“UWW requires a formal written confirmation by the respective National Olympic Committee (Indian Olympic Association), whereby it recognises and confirms the results of the elections and the names of all new office bearers.
“This letter serves as a formal request of such written confirmation by the Indian Olympic Association,” he added.
The president also said UWW will require a “robust plan” from the stake-holders guaranteeing a “safe environment” where grapplers can report abuse and harassment, and a clear hearing process is in place.
