WFI chief Sanjay Singh blames wrestlers' protests for India's poor Olympics performance

Sanjay Singh, the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), has identified the wrestlers' protests against his aide, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as a significant factor contributing to India's underwhelming performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Singh emphasized that the prolonged demonstrations, spanning nearly a year, caused disruption within the wrestling community and impeded the athletes' ability to adequately prepare for the games.

As a result of these challenges, India was only able to secure six medals at the recently concluded Olympics, consisting of five bronze medals and one silver medal. 

"India won six medals in Paris, those six could have been in wrestling alone if it was not for the protests in the last 15-16 months. This is the reason India failed to secure more medals in wrestling," he said.

"Let alone one category, the wrestlers in other categories struggled as they could not practice without national and international tournaments. Hence, the wrestlers could not perform well," Singh told India Today.

The protests against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan commenced in January 2023 following allegations of harassment by at least six wrestlers. Prominent athletes such as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik were among those who participated in the demonstrations.

Sakshi Malik, India's sole female Olympic medalist in wrestling, made the decision to retire after Brij Bhushan was replaced by another individual. Subsequently, in January of this year, a large number of junior wrestlers voiced their dissatisfaction by protesting against these top athletes, citing concerns about losing a crucial year in their athletic pursuits.

During the Paris Olympics, India fielded a six-member wrestling team, with only Aman Sehrawat managing to secure a medal by clinching bronze in the men's 57kg category. Unfortunately, the remaining team members, including Anshu Malik (57kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg), Nisha Dahiya (68kg), and Antim Panghal (53kg), were unable to make a significant impact in their respective events.

Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on the morning of the Paris Olympics final for exceeding the 50kg weight limit. During the weigh-in, she was found to be 100 grams over the limit.

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