Besides IOA Athletes’ Commission Chairman Kom, other committee members include IOA Joint Secretary (Female) Alaknanda Ashok, Athletes of Exceptional Merit (SOM) Yogeshwar Dutt and Dola Banerjee, treasurer Sahdev Yadav and a man and a lawyer, respectively. Beijing Olympics gold medal shooter Abhinav Bindra has joined the IOA’s emergency board meeting held virtually as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.
The members were tasked with holding dialogues with restless wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia, among others, and investigate allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation against Singh. Members would also like to meet with the victims of harassment if the protesting wrestlers wish to share their names with the committee in the strictest confidence.
No deadline was set for the committee to submit its report to the IOA President, PT Usha, and the Executive Council (EC). The members will also try to convince the wrestlers to call off their protest until the investigation into the matter is complete.
The AIO explained that they do not have the power to dissolve the WFI as demanded by the wrestlers and that this can only be done by the sport’s world governing body – United World Wrestling, who can launch an investigation. independent on the matter after approaching the wrestlers with whom the alleged incidents of sexual harassment occurred through its Ethics Commission. The EC was of the view that it could only terminate membership of the WFI as an affiliated unit.
However, the EC members expressed their dissatisfaction with the way the wrestlers went public with their grievances instead of discussing them first with the Ministry of Sports, the IOA and the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Additionally, members were unhappy with the timing of the protest, which was held just two months before the WFI elections scheduled for March.
Earlier in the day, the wrestlers wrote a detailed letter to Usha reiterating their demand for Singh’s dismissal and a thorough investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with national campers on his part. The development came a day after Usha extended his support to wrestlers protesting Singh’s retention as federation president.
In the letter, jointly signed by Bajrang, Sakshi, Vinesh, Ravi and Deepak, the wrestlers informed Usha that they fear for their lives from Singh and that if he is not sacked, the career of the young grapplers sitting on dharna with them for the third consecutive day at Jantar Mantar will be over.
“It took a lot of courage for us wrestlers to come together and protest against the WFI President. We fear for our lives. If he is not fired, the careers of all the young wrestlers who have joined this dharna will be over. Vinesh was mentally harassed and tortured by the WFI President after missing out on an Olympic medal in Tokyo. She almost contemplated suicide,” the letter reads.
“We will not move until the WFI Chairman is sacked. We want to reiterate that contrary to perception, there is NO political party or industrialist involvement,” he added.
The wrestlers set four conditions for the AIO to end their protest. “Our demands are to immediately appoint a committee to investigate complaints of sexual harassment; the resignation of the WFI President; the dissolution of the WFI and a new committee should be formed to manage the affairs of the WFI in consultation with wrestlers.”
“Furthermore, there has been financial misappropriation by the WFI. Contract payments have been agreed with some of the senior wrestlers over the past few years through sponsorship received from TATA Motors. These payments have only been partially carried out by the WFI.
“The coaches and sports science staff that the WFI President is placing in National Camps are absolutely incompetent and unmeritorious. They are just informants and they are creating a very bad atmosphere in the National Camp,” the letter reads. .
