India’s star women’s wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been declared ineligible before the final match at the Paris Olympics. Vinesh also lost his silver medal due to this. Vinesh Phogat, who is going through adversity, is greatly relieved. The Delhi High Court has agreed to hand over the responsibility of overseeing the work of the Wrestling Federation of India to an ad hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association.
Although the Court of Arbitration dismissed Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against disqualification at the Paris Olympics for Sport. However, she won in the Delhi High Court. Vinesh Phogat and wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik had approached the Delhi High Court. With a petition against the Wrestling Federation of India. Wrestlers appealed that the ban on WFI should not be lifted.
The wrestlers had also appealed to hand over the management work to the retired Supreme Court judges. The court has appointed an ad hoc committee while hearing this case. This means that the work of WFI will now be looked after by an ad hoc committee instead of elected officials.
However, the freedom to reconstitute the Ad Hoc Committee will be given to the IOA. While giving the decision, the bench of Justice Sachin Dutta said, “I have directed to reconstitute an ad hoc committee on behalf of the Indian Olympic Association. IOA will be free to reconstitute the committee.” He added that “the IOA may once again set up an ad-hoc committee for the functioning of the Wrestling Federation of India.”
IOA dissolved ad-hoc committee after sexual controversy
The IOA dissolved the ad-hoc committee for wrestling on March 18. After lifting the suspension on the federation and completing the selection trials. However, this was done on the instructions of the International Olympic Committee. It is noteworthy that last year, the wrestlers protested against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
He was accused of sexual abuse by wrestlers. In the elections that followed, Sanjay Singh was elected as the President of WFI. However, the Sports Ministry banned this committee. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association dissolved its ad hoc committee in March. This was done under pressure from the International Olympic Committee.
Earlier in February, the WFI filed a complaint with United World Wrestling after its suspension was lifted. In it, he said that the ad hoc committee set up by the IOA was not allowing him to work. Now the court has once again allowed the IOA to set up an ad hoc committee.