The unprecedented wrestlers’ protest raises many questions for the Indian sports administration

And that’s how it ends for now. Inquilab, but not Zindabad yet.

Late Wednesday through Friday, India witnessed something incredible, unprecedented. Athletes have occasionally fought back against their administrative tormentors, but rarely at a level we’ve seen in the past week. Olympic and World Cup medalists, the biggest names in their sport, have taken to the streets for three days and leveled one serious accusation at the long-time president of their federation – also an incumbent MP from India’s ruling party. Surreal doesn’t quite cover it.

What began on a scale that grabbed everyone’s attention and compelled us to pay attention ended just as unprecedented: well past midnight, on the lawn of the Sports Minister’s house, athletes and ministers held a press conference together. The minister announced the establishment of an oversight committee which would not only investigate the complaints but also guide the association for the duration of the investigation (deadline: four weeks).

With concerns allayed, the wrestlers will now return to the mat as they prepare for a pivotal year with their eyes on next year’s Paris Olympics. But this episode raises many questions, the answers to which should lead to some soul searching in the corridors of sporting power.

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First. Why did India’s champions take to the streets?

The accusations from the wrestlers – some of the biggest names in Indian non-cricket sport, we must remember – were varied. The four main aspects of this were: sexual harassment and assault, financial embezzlement, mental harassment (by Vinesh Phogat and others), and hiring incompetent trainers.

According to their website, the Wrestling Federation of India has a five-member sexual harassment committee (including one of the most vocal protesters, Rio Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik). They also have an Athletes Committee (three out of four were leaders of this protest) and a Complaints Redress Panel (chaired by the WFI President himself).

Obviously, the mere fact that the wrestlers performed publicly shows that these committees have no real power. It’s also important to note who they were up against here. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, President of WFI, is a six-time MP from Uttar Pradesh, a region where power is exercised in a feudal manner. Try this video, taken just after he returned to his hometown, 24 hours after serious allegations of sexual assault and financial embezzlement were made against him:

BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan with his supporters stepping out of a gym in UP’s Gonda. pic.twitter.com/B2tqC9aLTw

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) January 20, 2023

One of the many allegations made by the wrestlers was that he ran the federation like a private fief from his own home. For the 12th year in a row as top boss, his impact on the federation is near total. Is it then really surprising that neither the victims nor the demonstrators did not trust the internal complaints procedure?

Now the WFI is a member of the Indian Olympic Association and thus falls under its jurisdiction. The IOA also has a four-member sexual harassment prevention committee. The utter ineffectiveness of this committee is proved not only by the fact that the victims and protesters did not go to them, but also by the hammer blow of the IOA itself, which formed a separate seven-member committee to investigate the allegations.

With the Department of Sport now appointing an Oversight Committee just hours after the IOA announced its formation, the question arises – how much power does the IOA Committee have now?

As IOA President, I have discussed current wrestler issues with members, and for all of us, athlete welfare is the IOA’s top priority. We encourage athletes to come forward and share their concerns with us. (1/2)

— PT USHA (@PTUshaOfficial) January 19, 2023

Not only was the IOA late to the scene — no one from the newly elected Executive Branch or from the Athletes’ Commission visited the protesters, in fact, until a tweet by PT Usha in the afternoon of the second day of the protest, no one commented — they now appear to have been brushed aside entirely to be.

support system? What support system.

Didn’t anyone else come forward?

The first organization to take a proactive, positive step was the Delhi Commission of Women. The DCW chairman took notice suo moto and sent communications to both the Sports Ministry and the Delhi Police.

What they did, however, was then somewhat denied by the statement by the chairperson of the National Women’s Commission – she had not received a single complaint and there was nothing she could do. However, the same NCW had previously tweeted in many cases that the NCW takes note of all cases brought to its attention suo motu.

There was nothing but silence from the Department of Women and Child Development. to this topic.

Meanwhile, support came from athletes from different sports. World boxing champion Nikhat Zareen and Asian Games champion Amit Panghal tweeted in support of their fellow wrestlers, while former Olympic champion Vijender Singh sat with the protesters on the second day.

Stronger Together #[email protected] @SakshiMalik @Phogat_Vinesh pic.twitter.com/kAzdoqGQHq

— Amit Panghal (@Boxerpanghal) January 20, 2023

At jantar mantar #BoycottWFIPresident #fullsupport pic.twitter.com/c8S17S7Gbv

— Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) January 20, 2023

What does the defense say?

Sharan Singh went on the offensive from the start; They suggested a conspiracy, accused the wrestlers of lying and asked where the victims were [hiding], and essentially brush away all criticism. He had done so in Delhi on Wednesday evening but was back in Gonda by Friday morning. Where he moved a scheduled 4 p.m. press conference to Sunday.

The absolute icing on the cake, however, is WFI’s social media channels (which now tweet exclusively in Hindi), where a lesson in the theater of the absurd unfolds. Try this:

pic.twitter.com/0oPDvbH3VF

— Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) (@wfi_wrestling) January 20, 2023

Oh, and this, retweeted from the official WFI handle, which seems to suggest everything is perfectly normal for the federation:

Today at the Nandini Nagar Indoor Stadium
Three day senior open rank wrestling tournament organized by Wrestling Federation of India @wfi_wrestling
Grand opening with Vedic chants – Shankhnaad Bajrangbaliji Garlands
Best wishes to thousands of male and female gamers from across India pic.twitter.com/KElpwLeMx9

— BrijBhushan Sharan Singh (@sharan_mp) January 20, 2023

What’s happening now?

The National Sports Code clearly states that if conduct which constitutes a specific offense under the Indian Penal Code (or any other law) is reported, the Federation should lodge a complaint with the relevant authority. Will the ministry heed its own edict and cause the committee that will direct the WFI to file a police case against the alleged perpetrators of these crimes now?

This is not a matter of choice – but the political affiliation of the defendants makes answering this question even more complex.

Difficult and unprecedented as it is, a quick solution must be found.

This is a big year for wrestling: India is set to host the Asian Championships from March 28th to April 2nd this year, while this year’s World Championships (in Belgrade in September) will have added significance, with a total of 90 odds for the Paris Olympics be given there. Not to mention the Asian Games, postponed by a year, which will take place around this time. And that’s just for the crème de la crème – even the underlying structure needs to keep its regular competitions running like clockwork.

Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Anshu Malik stage a protest strike against the Wrestling Federation of India. PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan

As the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar reiterated, the last thing either of them needs right now is distraction. But the fact that they’re willing to risk their careers so publicly should speak volumes.

However, this could be a seminal moment in Indian sport. In the last nine months alone, five cases of sexual harassment (of which we are aware) have been reported: they have all been more or less swept under the rug.

This time the athletes spoke so loudly that no one could ignore them. Those in power had to listen, and they did. Whether any real change will materialize remains to be seen – if (and it remains a big if) it materializes… could this be the start of a domino effect in India’s sports administration?