United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body overseeing wrestling, has imposed a suspension on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) due to its failure to conduct timely elections. Consequently, Indian wrestlers will be unable to participate in the forthcoming World Championships under the Indian flag.

In light of this suspension, Indian wrestlers will be compelled to compete as ‘neutral athletes’ at the upcoming World Championships, which are set to commence on September 16. The ad-hoc panel, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, failed to meet the mandated 45-day deadline for organizing the elections.

This development transpired just a day before the ad-hoc panel was scheduled to conduct the World Championships trials in Patiala. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had appointed the ad-hoc panel on April 27, with the committee’s primary responsibility being to hold elections within the stipulated 45-day timeframe.

UWW had previously issued a warning on April 28, indicating that it might suspend the Indian federation if the deadline for conducting elections was not adhered to.

According to an insider from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the UWW conveyed the news on Wednesday night that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been suspended due to its failure to conduct elections for its executive committee.

Meanwhile, a member of the ad-hoc panel, Gian Singh, disclosed to PTI that they are currently kept in the dark regarding the ongoing developments. They feel excluded from the decision-making process.

“I have also heard about the WFI suspension, but I cannot provide details on the ad-hoc panel’s course of action. Mr. Bajwa no longer includes us in discussions. I’m not even aware of how the criteria were determined for the World Championship trials,” Gian conveyed to PTI.

He further added, “It appears that Mr. Bajwa is preoccupied,” suggesting that the ad-hoc panel may have struggled to effectively manage the issues at hand.

Efforts to contact Bajwa for a statement were unsuccessful as he did not return calls or respond to text messages.

It’s worth noting that the Indian women’s team achieved a historic feat at the recent U-20 World Championship in Amman, winning the team title for the first time in Indian wrestling history, surpassing wrestling powerhouses like Japan and the USA.

The wrestlers previously earned points for their country when representing India. However, at the upcoming senior world championships in Serbia, Indian wrestlers will compete as ‘neutral athletes,’ and their performances will not contribute to India’s tally.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for these wrestlers to compete under the Indian flag at the Asian Games, scheduled to begin on September 23 in Hangzhou. In this case, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has taken charge of sending entries, bypassing the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Traditionally, for the World Championships, it is the responsibility of the WFI to select a team through trials and submit the entries. Initially, the WFI was scheduled to hold elections on May 7. However, the Sports Ministry invalidated this process, leading the IOA to establish an ad-hoc panel to oversee wrestling in the country.

Since then, the elections have faced multiple delays, with various state bodies that were dissatisfied or disaffiliated taking the matter to court in a bid to participate in the polls.

The Returning Officer had initially set July 11 as the election date for the WFI, but the Assam association succeeded in obtaining a stay order from the Gauhati High Court on June 25, leading to a rescheduled hearing on July 28. However, the Andhra state association challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, which overturned the Gauhati High Court’s ruling on July 18, clearing the path for the elections.

Subsequently, the Returning Officer announced August 12 as the new date for the polls. Unfortunately, a day before the elections, the Punjab and Haryana High Court halted the process following an application from the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA), which was led by Deepinder Singh Hooda before being suspended by the WFI. HWA contested the decision to allow the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to participate in the WFI polls.

This case is currently awaiting a hearing in the Supreme Court and is anticipated to be addressed this coming Friday.

The United World Wrestling (UWW) expressed strong dissatisfaction in its letter dated April 28, which was also forwarded to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Ministry of Sports. In this letter, UWW recalled its earlier action of relocating the Asian Championship originally scheduled for New Delhi earlier this year. This decision was made in response to the controversy surrounding the outgoing WFI chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces allegations of sexual misconduct involving multiple female wrestlers. This case is already under consideration in a Delhi court.