IMAGE: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia and his wife Sangeeta during their protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, in May 2023. Photograph: PTI from the Rediff Archives
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should investigate India's wrestling federation (WFI) and bolster its tools to report cases of sexual harassment, the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) said in a report published on Tuesday.
Several Indian wrestlers protested last year, demanding criminal action against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Singh, who was also a federal lawmaker, was charged in June last year with sexually harassing six female wrestlers during his tenure in a case that drew international headlines and cast a spotlight on the safety of women athletes in India. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In December the WFI elected a new president backed by Singh in 2023, following which Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik quit the sport in protest.
"It is essential for the IOC to ensure a comprehensive, independent and trauma-informed investigation of Singh's abuse during his tenure as president of WFI," the report said.
The IOC and the WFI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Sport and Rights Alliance is a global coalition of non-governmental organisations that promotes human rights in sports.
The body's report also urged the IOC to look into "other claims of abuse
by federation officials, coaches, and staff, and any threats and harassment Singh and his allies directed at the reporting athletes.
"The IOC must also overhaul its 'Integrity and Compliance Hotline' – the main artery for reporting athlete abuse – to make it accessible, trauma-informed, responsive and free of conflicts of interest."
India has expressed its intention to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games, but the SRA urged the IOC to be stringent in its evaluation of any bid from the nation.
"The government of India should urgently act to address the full extent of Singh's and other incidents of abuse in sports," the report said.
"The IOC should ensure that any bid from India is contingent on significant human rights improvements, including reformed governance, women in leadership, and systems to ensure safeguarding, and the freedom to speak out for the country’s own athletes."
The IOC has said it is in contact with amateur wrestling's governing body United World Wrestling (UWW) about the situation.
In a list of recommendations provided in the report, the SRA asked the IOC to set up a regional safeguarding hub in India.
"We need some response from the IOC," SRA director Andrea Florence told reporters on Tuesday.
"It is not possible to continue playing hot potato with cases of abuse. We've seen other sports have potential cases, we've seen it in our work in other committees.
"It is time we stop abuse by enhancing the capacity (to report incidents) nationally, but also by making sure that athletes have a way in for support at the global level."
