WFI Requests UWW To Uplift Ban Amidst Controversy

Wrestling Federation of India requested United World Wrestling to uplift the ban currently imposed.

Sanjay Singh is the newly elected President of WFI ( Image Source :Getty Images )

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has requested the world governing body UWW to uplift the ban currently imposed on them. The request was officially made on Friday, December 22, by the newly elected WFI President Sanjay Singh and during the announcement, he also stated that WFI will host the senior National Championships, starting January 28, in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. The newly elected president also assured the sporting world that the body will restore stability in the sport amidst past controversies.

In its intial hours of deployment, the WFI has decided to host U15 and U20 Nationals in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.

As reported by PTI, Sanjay Singh promised to restore the competitions that took a hit.

"We wrote to the UWW today that the ban imposed on WFI should now be lifted as elections have been held democratically. I am sure the suspension will end soon. The wrestlers, both junior and senior, have suffered a lot in the last few months for lack of competitions. Our priority is to restart the competitions. We are working towards that. Senior Nationals will be hosted by Maharashtra. The states have also announced their trials for the senior Nationals," said Sanjay Singh, President of WFI, to PTI.

The Wrestling Federation of India was banned in 2023 due to its untimeliness for hosting elections, which was a subject to various court cases. Seeing the delay and inappropriate professionalism from the Indian body, the UWW took matters into their own hands and imposed a ban upon the WFI.

The elections were a matter of speculation as Sanjay Singh is reportedly an aide of former President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The elected members met on December 22 to further progress the way ahead of the WFI and the sport of wrestling in India. However, New secretary general Prem Chand Lochab and senior vice-president Devender Singh Kadian did not attend the meeting.

The date for the first General Body Meeting (GBM) of WFI will reportedly be either on January 11 or 12, 2024, in New Delhi.