India is one of the countries that aspires to host the Olympics in 2036. We successfully hosted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in October 2023 and, in the presence of the Prime Minister, it was announced that a strong bid would be put together for the 2030 Youth Olympic Games as well. And yet, it has now been a year that Indian wrestling is a mess. More importantly, no end is in sight.
Without going into the rights and wrongs, it sends the worst signal to everyone watching. We couldn’t hold elections for months and when we did, it turned out to be a less-than-ideal solution. So much so that the sports ministry was forced to suspend the body within 36 hours, and instruct the IOA to set up yet another ad hoc body to run the sport. It also means that the world body, UWW, is unlikely to revoke India’s suspension anytime soon and India’s wrestlers will have to continue to perform under a neutral flag and not the tricolour.
Soon after the Sports Ministry announced the suspension, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh declared to the press that he has nothing to do with the sport. And Sanjay Singh, the newly elected president, mentioned that his predecessor is no longer involved with the running of the sport.
Just a day earlier, Brij Bhushan, with 20 garlands round his neck, had declared that “dabdaba hai aur dabdaba rahega [there is dominance, and it will stay that way].” If he has retired and has nothing to do with it, what “dabdaba” was he talking about? Sanjay Singh had rushed to the former president’s house and not once did he counter any statement that was made. It was clear to the world that nothing had changed. There was indeed a new president, but it was all same-old-same-old. In fact, the sport would be run by proxy and Gonda was still the HQ of Indian wrestling with all trials announced at Nandini Nagar.
As we had mentioned earlier, the optics were appalling. The arrogance was worse. The lack of empathy was striking. Why wouldn’t the new president invite the protesting wrestlers to draw up a road map? Why wouldn’t he involve his Secretary General and announce the trials unilaterally? We can keep asking questions, but there are very few answers.
Sakshi Malik, in a detailed interview with RevSportz which will be aired at 10am, said she hoped that the government would finally help solve the crisis. She clarified that Priyanka Gandhi had visited her as a woman and not as a politician. Again, it is about optics. Why would you let the protests be taken over by politicians and send out the wrong message?
The truth is everyone involved has made mistakes. And more and more mistakes are being made with every passing day. Young wrestlers who want to grow up to win Olympic medals are the ones left in shock. They have no idea what the future holds. India’s preparations for Paris, which should have started months ago, are still in limbo and the mess is indeed a royal one which even Santa Claus would find difficult to solve.
Finally, the ministry has asked the IOA to set up an ad hoc body to take control. Let me just say that the last ad hoc body wasn’t too effective either. Hopefully, this one does better and brings the sport back on track. For the sake of the athletes and the country at large, it is a dire need. In fact, beyond the dabdaba and the protests, there is a world of wrestling where dreams are still being nurtured. We need the Antim Pangal to be given everything they need to shine and not feel deflated at the altar of what is being played out regularly. This isn’t the way India can host an Olympic games. The faster we understand, the better it is for us all.
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