Grappling with politicians

Govt move to suspend WFI is timely

The government has spared the Indian sporting world’s blushes by moving swiftly to suspend the new Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). This follows a travesty of an election that saw 13 of the 15 seats in the governing body’s committee filled with associates of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Member of Parliament (MP) from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Singh is fighting a court case against allegations of sexual harassment brought by six women wrestlers. The new panel won 40 of the state wrestling federation votes against seven for the challenger, Commonwealth Gold medallist Anita Sheoran. The government’s contention was that the new WFI remained under the control of the former office bearers and that its business was being conducted out of the site of some of the alleged incidents. The new (and now suspended) president, Sanjay Kumar Singh, who describes his predecessor as an “elder brother”, had announced that the Under-15 and Under-20 nationals would take place in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, which is Mr Singh’s turf. Now, the government has suggested that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) constitute an ad hoc committee to manage the WFI.

The government’s action, permitted under the national sports code, was long overdue. It came after the government conspicuously distanced itself from the months-long public protests by some of India’s star wrestlers, including Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, alleging serial sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the powerful politician who had held the post of WFI president since 2012. Ms Malik has announced her decision to retire from the sport after the latest elections. These moves, while addressing an immediate controversy, are unlikely, however, to solve the deeper problem that afflicts sports administrations in India — the deep-seated nexus with powerful politicians that makes various federations cesspools of corruption and underperformance. Today, for instance, six of the 12 major sporting federations are headed by politicians or their close relatives. The football federation is a good example of the problem. In 2022, the body had attracted censure from the global governing body Fédération Internationale De Football Association (Fifa) after the Nationalist Congress Party’s Praful Patel outstayed his term as president without fresh elections. After elections were held, a BJP politician became the president, although he passes muster as a former footballer. 

This state of affairs attracted little attention earlier, when India was a minor sporting nation on the global stage. Now, as the country grows more prosperous, Indians become consequential participants in a range of international sporting events. As a result, these weaknesses are proving damaging in more ways than one. Wrestlers have been among standout performers in international events and the country has taken pride in the successes of its women wrestlers. But as an investigation report of their allegations against the Kaiserganj MP revealed, the association did not even have the mandatory sexual harassment complaints committee. This is true of most sporting federations. With the government’s timely move, the ball is now in the court of the IOA and former athlete P T Usha, its first female head, to ensure that the WFI fulfils its primary function of nurturing sporting talent in a safe and non-toxic environment. Meanwhile, the government would do well to update the sports code, barring politicos from sporting bodies.