Indore:

WFI President Sanjay Singh on Monday said India have the potential to win four to five medals in women’s wrestling at the 2028 Olympic Games but for that to happen “a couple of institutions” will have to stop interfering in day-to-day functioning of the national federation. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) remains suspended by the Sports Ministry even as world governing body UWW had lifted its suspension in February following conduct of its election. The ministry had suspended WFI on December 24, three days after it held elections where Sanjay Singh was elected the new President.

Ministry’s action came in the wake of WFI’s announcement of hosting U-15 and U-20 Nationals, hours after the election.

Ministry said the announcement was against the the rules since a 15-day notice was required so that players could prepare.

WFI had maintained that young wrestlers would have lost one year if it waited for 15 days since 2023 season would have finished by then.

IOA, on being asked by the ministry, had formed an ad-hoc panel to run the federation but dissolved the panel recently. However, the ministry is yet to lift its suspension “If WFI is allowed to do its work independently and a couple of institutions stop interfering in our functioning, we can get the country four to five medals in women’s wrestling in the next Olympics,” Sanjay Singh told PTI.

The WFI President’s comment has two days after India’s U17 women team won the World title, riding on a phenomenal performance in Amman where five Indian wrestlers emerged world champions apart from winning a silver and two bronze.

Sanjay Singh also urged Vinesh Phogat to reconsider her retirement decision.

Vinesh announced her retirement from the sport after missing out on a medal at the Paris Olympics. She was disqualified after weighing 100 grams more before the women’s 50kg final.

“If Vinesh Phogat has to play pure wrestling, she should reconsider her decision of retirement as the new generation of women wrestlers will get inspiration from her and move forward.

“The way she is sharing a political platform nowadays, if she has to do politics (in future), then she should not do politics in wrestling.”

On speculation that Phogat might enter the political arena, Singh refused to comment saying it was a personal matter of the 30-year-old wrestler. He said he would extend full support to Phogat if she returns to competitive wrestling.

Singh also said that the movement of the country’s wrestlers in 2023 has given the WFI a “very big lesson”.

The agitation was launched against the then WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in an alleged sexual harassment case.

“We were expecting Indian wrestlers to win six medals in the Paris Olympics but wrestling activities were stopped for 18 months under the conspiracy of anti-national forces. Due to this movement, the country could get only one medal in the Olympics,” he said.

“I want to keep wrestling and politics separate. So I don’t want to name anyone who started this movement, but it is because of politics entering wrestling that this fate has happened to wrestling at the Paris Olympics,” he said.

He also informed that WFI is considering opening a wrestling academy in Ujjain, the religious city of Madhya Pradesh.

The state Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is the president of the state wrestling association.

“Initial discussion with the chief minister regarding the plan to open a wrestling academy in Ujjain is already underway,” he added.