Wrestling Nationals in Jaipur from February 2 to 5, an ad hoc panel of the WFI said

The National Senior Wrestling Championships will be held in Jaipur from February 2 to 5, the Ad Hoc Committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) said on Saturday.

Competitions will be held for top honors in senior freestyle, Greco Roman and women's section, the Bhupinder Singh Bajwa-led committee said in a press release.

The press release also stated that “all correspondence must be conducted with an ad hoc panel,” making it clear that no interested party should have contact with members of the suspended federation.

The tournament is organized by Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) at the Railway Stadium in Ganpati Nagar.

Earlier, a three-member ad hoc committee was formed by the Indian Olympic Association to oversee the WFI after the newly elected body was suspended by the Sports Ministry for violating its own constitution.

Last Sunday, the wrestling organization was suspended for failing to make decisions in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

To manage the day-to-day activities of the WFI, the IOA has appointed the head of the Wushu Federation, Bajwa, as head of the committee. The other members of the panel are 1998 Commonwealth Games badminton medalist Manjusha Kanwar and 1980 Olympic gold medalist hockey player MM Somaya.

After Sanjay Singh, a close aide of former WFI boss Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was elected president of the national wrestling body on December 24, he declared that the nationals for the under-15 and under-20 age groups would be held in the Nandini Nagar region of Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh before the year ended.

The region is a stronghold of BJP MP Brij Bhushan.

The ministry claimed that wrestlers scheduled to participate in the national championships were not given adequate notice and that the announcement was made hastily and without confidence in Secretary General Prem Chand Lochab.

First print: December 30, 2023 | 11:33 PM IST