NEW DELHI: The repercussions of India’s denial of visas to two Pakistani shooters at the recent ISSF World Cup, and the diktat from the International Olympic Committee that followed the Union government’s decision, has now hit the country’s wrestling fraternity.
“UWW (United World Wrestling) recommends to all the affiliated and associated national wrestling federations to suspend their discussions or relations with the Wrestling Federation of India,” the world body has written in a letter issued to all national federations, a WFI source told PTI.
The UWW seems to be among the first organisations to fall in line with the IOC, which opted to suspend any form of discussions with India till such time as the government give written assurances that no athlete who has qualified to participate in events it sanctions and that of world bodies affiliated to it will be barred from participating.
As for why the directive came to the wrestling body first among the national sports federations, WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar pointed out that it was because India is scheduled to host the junior Asian Championships in July.
“This directive has come to us first because we are hosting this championship. The IOC does not want any political interference, so I will not be surprised if other national federations also get similar treatment from their respective world governing bodies,” Tomar said.
In a related development, WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told PTI: “Today (Tuesday) we will write to the government of India to find a solution to the matter. Wrestling and wrestlers can’t suffer. We are drafting a letter to urge the government to ensure that sports does not suffer.”
Singh, who was recently elected as WFI president for a third term, further said: “We will do our best to ensure that the junior championship remains in India. A solution has to be found. I have not read the UWW directive as yet but whatever it is, no sport should suffer for no fault.”
Additionally, the fate of the 2020 edition of the Pro Wrestling League, the annual franchise-based, WFI-sanctioned competition, which welcomes the participation of overseas wrestlers, also hangs in balance. If wrestling federations from other nations refuse to issue NOCs to their respective athletes, PWL would perforce become a tournament that has only Indian talent on show.
That is of course a worst case scenario. The general sentiment is that once the general elections are done and dusted in May, the stance of the Indian government on the matter will change.
