Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia
– Photo: Social Media
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Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the outgoing chief of Wrestling Federation of India, has expressed displeasure over the decision to directly include wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat in the Asian Games team. He termed the decision as unfortunate. Brij Bhushan Sharan believes that this will harm wrestling in the country. Bajrang (65kg) and Vinesh Phogat (53kg) have been included in the Asian Games team without trials. The ad-hoc committee has given place to both of them in the team against the wishes of the head coaches of the team. Against this decision, anger has spread among other wrestlers of these two categories.
BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that he had ended the practice of giving exemption to wrestlers as he realized that it was putting juniors at a disadvantage. He told news agency PTI, “I am very distressed after this decision was taken by the ad hoc committee. This will harm the sport of wrestling in this country. Many people have worked hard to elevate this game. Athletes, their parents, fans of the game, everyone has worked hard.
‘It’s quite unfortunate’
Brij Bhushan Sharan said, “Today wrestling is a sport in which an Olympic medal is considered a certainty. These wrestlers will go to competitions like the Asian Games. This is very unfortunate.” Several wrestlers, including Bajrang and Vinesh, had protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He is on interim bail in a sexual assault case and is facing the upcoming WFI elections due to Sports Code guidelines. They are not eligible to fight. They feel that the protest by the wrestlers was motivated by something or the other.
Why were the rules changed?
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said, “We did not send these wrestlers directly (to the Commonwealth Games). However, we directly gave them a place in the semi-finals. We later realized that maybe it was not right and that is why we told our executive committee discussed the issue and consulted the coaches. studied the rules of other countries and passed new rules in the general body meeting that no such exemption will be given to any wrestler under any circumstances.
The resolution was passed in the General Assembly of Rohtak
“I myself did not make these rules unilaterally. It was widely discussed and then a decision was taken,” he said. The resolution was passed by the WFI in its general body meeting at Rohtak on August 25 last year. When Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was asked what he thought about the presence of Gyan Singh and Ashok Garg as technical experts in the IOA ad-hoc panel, he chose not to speak.