Page 3 - Wrestling

Delhi court likely to resume hearing against ex-WFI chief on Sep 23

A Delhi court is likely to resume hearing in sexual harassment case by female wrestlers against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on September 23. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot, who was scheduled to record the statement of one of the complainants on Thursday, adjourned the matter after being informed that the wrestler could not appear before the court today. The court on May 10 ordered framing of sexual harassment and other charges against the BJP MP and former WFI chief in a case lodged by six female wrestlers, observing there was "sufficient evidence" against him. It had directed framing of charges against Singh, a six-time Lok Sabha MP, under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The judge later on May 21 framed the charges after Singh pleaded not-guilty.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia moves Delhi High Court against suspension by NADA

Ahead of the Senior World Wrestling Championships to be held in Albania in October, wrestler Bajrang Punia has approached the Delhi High Court challenging his suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The grappler has claimed that the conduct of the agency is in violation of his fundamental rights to practice a profession and earn a livelihood under the Constitution of India, and that he would be "forced to retire" if the "arbitrary" suspension is not lifted. On June 21, the National Anti-Doping Agency suspended Punia for a second time and issued the formal "notice of charge", rendering him ineligible to train and participate in competitions. The move came three weeks after an Anti-Disciplinary Doping (ADDP) panel had revoked the earlier suspension on the ground that NADA had not issued a "notice of charge" to the wrestler. NADA had first suspended Punia on April 23 for refusal to give his urine sample for a dope test during the selection trials held in Sonepat on March

Sad that sports has been politicised: Rajyavardhan on Vinesh joining Cong

I feel that in Olympics, wrestling is such sport, in which so many athletes take part and we get so many medals, this time more medals could have come if such atmosphere was not created, Rathore said

Days after joining Cong, Bajrang Punia gets threat message; probe underway

Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia, who joined the Congress, has received a threat message over WhatsApp warning him with dire consequences, police said on Sunday. Punia has filed a complaint at Bahalgarh police station in Sonipat. A police official said they received a complaint from Punia after which they launched an investigation. When asked that some reports say that in the threat message Punia was asked to quit Congress or be prepared to face dire consequences, Bahalgarh police station SHO Madan Singh said over the phone, "The matter is under investigation..." Olympians Punia and Vinesh Phogat entered the political arena on Friday by joining the Congress. The party later fielded Phogat from Julana seat for the Haryana Assembly polls while Punia was appointed as working chairman of All India Kisan Congress. Punia won bronze in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Polling for 90 seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the votes counted on October 8.

Hoodas used wrestlers like Pandavas put Draupadi at stake: Former WFI chief

Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Sunday accused the Hooda family of Congress of conspiring against him by using wrestlers as wager just as Pandavas had put Draupadi at stake. Singh, a former chief of Wrestling Federation of India, was last year accused of sexual assault by several female wrestlers, who sat on a protest for weeks demanding a probe against him. At his residence on Sunday, he told reporters, "In the gambling which took place in Mahabharat, Draupadi was put at stake. The Pandavas lost. The country is still not able to accept their reasons for doing it." He added, "The Hooda family put the honour of daughters and sisters at stake. The future generation will not forgive them for this and they will always be held guilty for this." Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who is an Olympic bronze-medallist, along with another Olympic bronze-winner Sakshi Malik spearheaded the agitation last year. Singh said, "Bajrang Punia's mental condition has deteriorated. He had pu

Vinesh starts poll campaign, says 'blessings will help win each battle'

Wrestler and Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat on Sunday said she expects to win each battle with the blessings of people as kicks off her campaign for the upcoming assembly election. Phogat (30) has been fielded from the Julana assembly segment for the upcoming assembly poll. Polling in Haryana will take place on October 5 while the counting of votes for the elections to the 90-member assembly will take place on October 8. Phogat was accorded a warm welcome when she reached Julana as her supporters, including elderly people and women and members of various 'Khaps', greeted her with garlands and gave their blessings. The Congress had on Friday released its first list of 32 candidates for the Haryana Assembly polls, naming her among the party candidates. Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, entered the political arena on Friday by joining the Congress. Stand

From wrestling mat to politics, Bajrang Punia gears up for new 'dangal'

Bajrang Punia had once stated that it didn't really matter who was supporting him because as long as his mind was trained to feel undefeated, nothing really could beat him. If the unfazed manner in which he has moved from the wrestling mat to the political cauldron is any indication, this statement seems to have been the guiding principle of his life. Bajrang, a Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist and among the most decorated names in Indian wrestling, is now set to grapple on the political turf, having joined the Congress party a month before the assembly elections in Haryana amid talk that he would be among the contestants. His name will be among the foremost in the annals of Indian wrestling heavyweights, whose career witnessed several highs on the mat but also turmoil off it. He was the first Indian to be ranked world no.1 in a freestyle weight category and also the first to win four world medals. The 30-year-old Bajrang hasn't officially said that he is giving up the sport but the

Aman Sehrawat one of the best wrestlers in the world: Coach Lalit Kumar

Dronacharya Award-winning trainer says he is confident that India will produce more champions

I shed 4.6 kg before Olympic match; it was challenging: Wrestler Sehrawat

Sehrawat, who is the under-23 World Champion, started training at Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi when he was 10 years old. A year later his parents died and the stadium became his second home.

Let WFI work without any interference: WFI President Sanjay Singh

WFI President Sanjay Singh on Monday said India have the potential to win four to five medals in women's wrestling at the 2028 Olympic Games but for that to happen "a couple of institutions" will have to stop interfering in day-to-day functioning of the national federation. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) remains suspended by the Sports Ministry even as world governing body UWW had lifted its suspension in February following conduct of its election. The ministry had suspended WFI on December 24, three days after it held elections where Sanjay Singh was elected the new President. Ministry's action came in the wake of WFI's announcement of hosting U-15 and U-20 Nationals, hours after the election. Ministry said the announcement was against the the rules since a 15-day notice was required so that players could prepare. WFI had maintained that young wrestlers would have lost one year if it waited for 15 days since 2023 season would have finished by then. IOA, on being asked b

Four Indian women wrestlers to feature in World Championship finals

Putting up a dominant show, all four Indian women wrestlers in action, including Aditi Kumari, Neha and Pulkit, got themselves in title contention at the Under-17 World Championships, here on Wednesday. Aditi Kumari put up an impressive show against Ukraine's Karolina Shperyk (10-0) and Marriem Mohamed Abdelaal (4-2) to set up the 43kg semifinal against Aleksandra Berezovskaia. She carried forward her terrific run with a 8-2 win in the semifinals to set up the 43kg final with Maria Louiza Gkika from Greece. In 57kg, Neha made it to the semifinals without losing a point. She pinned Greek rival Mairi Mani and then won by technical superiority against Georgia's Miranda Kapanadze. Up next for her was Kazakhstan's Anna Stratan and she won 8-4 to move to the final where he will face Japan's So Tsuitsui. In 65kg, Pulkit dominated China's Ling Cai for 'win by fall' and followed that up with a commanding 9-0 victory against Juliana Catanzaro. She then blanked Egypt's Maram Ibrahim Aly 3-0

U17 World Wrestling C'Ship: India's Ronak Dahiya clinches bronze in 110kg

India's Ronak Dahiya bagged the bronze medal in the 110kg Greco-Roman category at the U17 World Wrestling Championship here. In the bronze medal play-off, Ronak, currently ranked two in the world in his age-group weight category, comfortably disposed the challenge of Turkey's Emrullah Capkan 6-1 to claim India's first medal from the championship on Tuesday. Earlier, Ronak had lost to eventual silver medallist Zoltan Czako of Hungary in the semi-final. The gold in this category was won by Ukraine's Ivan Yankovskyi, who beat Czako 13-4 by virtue of technical superiority. India have a chance of a second medal in the 51 kg repechage if Sainath Pardhi wins two bouts. He is first pitted against Dominic Michael Munaretto of the United States and if he wins the bout then he will fight the bronze medal play off with either Kazakhstan's Mussan Yerassyl or Iran's Abolfazl Mehrdad Karamiegaei.

'Onus lied on Vinesh Phogat to remain below weight limit,' says CAS

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that athletes will have to ensure that they remain below their wight limit and no exception can be provided under any circumstance, while giving reasons for its rejection of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the Paris Olympics final. An ad-hoc division of the CAS had on August 14 rejected her appeal against a gut-wrenching disqualification from the final for being 100gm overweight, a decision that evoked a sharp reaction from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The CAS on Monday published a detailed decision, furnishing reasons why Vinesh's appeal was rejected. "The problem for the Athlete is that the Rules are clear as to the weight limit and are the same for all participants. There is no tolerance provided for - it is an upper limit. It does not even allow for the weight of the singlet. It is clearly up to an athlete to ensure that they remain below that limit," the CAS said. "There is no

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat returns to grand welcome after Paris heartbreak

Champion wrestler Vinesh Phogat arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Saturday following the heartbreak in Paris Olympics where she was disqualified for being overweight after reaching the 50kg final. There was a thick security cover as Phogat, who was found 100 grams overweight on the day of her bout earlier this month, landed in the national capital. Phogat had to stay back in Paris after she had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a joint silver which was eventually dismissed on Wednesday. London Olympics bronze medal-winning shooter Gagan Narang, who was the chief de mission of the Indian contingent in Paris, called her a champion, posting a photo with Phogat at the Paris airport. Both of them were on the same flight to Delhi. "She came as a champion on day 1 into the games village and she will always remain our champion. Sometimes one doesn't need an Olympic medal to inspire a billion dreams.. @vineshphogat you have inspired generations. ..

Might never be same again, don't know what future holds for me: Vinesh

Feisty wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday said that under "different circumstances" she could see herself competing till 2032 because she still has a lot of wrestling left in her but is now unsure about her future as things "might never be same again". Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport after her disqualification from the women's 50kg final for being overweight by 100gms. She had challenged the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but her appeal was dismissed. In an emotional post on social media, Vinesh shared her childhood dream, the hardships she faced after losing her father and also put on record the contribution made by people in her extraordinary journey that ended in heartbreak in Paris. "....all I want to say is that we did not give up, our efforts did not stop, and we did not surrender but the clock stopped and the time was not fair. So was my fate," she wrote, referring to the work she did with her team before the second day weigh-in. "To

Olympics 2024: CAS rejects Vinesh's application for a joint Silver medal

The verdict was scheduled to come on August 16, but IOA confirms the plea getting rejected on Wednesday (August 14)

Olympics: Wanted to treat bronze medal bout as state meet match - Aman

Not getting bogged by the enormity of the occasion was foremost on wrestler Aman Sehrawat's mind when he took the mat for the Olympic bronze medal play-off bout, treating it as another state level competition. India's youngest individual medal winner at the Paris Olympics, the 21-year-old from the iconic Chhatrasal akhadaa (wrestling academy), gave a sneak peek into his mindset before the biggest bout of his nascent career. "First I thought, I am in the semi-final and I lost six points. Then it hit me that I've lost six points in an Olympic bout what should I do now? I told myself that it isn't an Olympic bout and I'm still fighting at the state level," Aman told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview on his return from Paris. "So, I didn't think of it as an Olympic bronze medal match. Just thought of it as any state level game to get my mind off the occasion," the star wrestler said. On how he managed to cut down weight before his bouts, Aman replied: "It was not a major issue, we .

Olympics: CAS verdict on Vinesh deferred again; to be delivered on Aug 16

29-year-old Vinesh was disqualified from the women's 50kg freestyle final for being 100gm overweight at the time of weigh-in on Wednesday last week.

News updates: CAS decision on Vinesh's appeal against Olympic final disqualification on Aug 13

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Wait gets longer: CAS decision on Vinesh Phogat's appeal to come on Aug 13

The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will take another day before deciding on Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the women's 50kg free-style final of the Olympic Games. The 29-year-old was disqualified for being 100gm overweight at the time on weigh-in on Wednesday. The much-anticipated verdict on her appeal was earlier due to be announced this evening. "The ad-hoc division of CAS has extended time till 6pm on August 11, 2024, for the Sole Arbitrator Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett in the Vinesh Phogat vs. United World Wrestling & the International Olympic Committee to issue a decision," the IOA said in a statement. "The reasoned order will be issued at a later date," it added. According to an IOA source, the decision is likely to be made public only on August 13, two days after the conclusion of the Games in Paris.