WFI chief blames wrestlers’ protests for India’s ordinary show in Paris Olympics

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh said that the wrestlers’ protest was the major reason why India could not win enough medals in Paris Olympics 2024. 

India had sent a six-member contingent. However, it was only Aman Sehrawat, who finished on the podium. He won the bronze medal in the men’s 57kg category. 

According to Singh, who had taken over from Brij Bhushan Singh as the WFI chief last December, the wrestlers could not get enough time to prepare for the marquee event due to the tensions created by the protests that carried on for around a year.

“If you look at it from the other angle, the protests that took place for 14-15 months, the entire wrestling fraternity was disturbed. Let alone one category, the wrestlers in other category struggled as they could not practice without national and international tournaments. Hence, they could not perform well,” said Singh.

Notably, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik were part of the protests against Brij Bhushan that started in January 2023.