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The Wrestling Federation of India finds itself in hot waters after WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was accused of sexual misconduct and intimidation by the wrestlers.
Following the accusations, the wrestlers, including India’s top stars, took part in a protest as they demanded the removal of the president. Some notable names, including Bajrang Punia, Sarita Mor, Sangeeta Phogat, Anshu Malik, Sonam Malik, Satywart Malik and Jitender Kinha took part in the protests.
As the wrestlers wait for the decision of the oversight committee, Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik threatened to quit the sport if the decision went against them.
Speaking to ANI, Sakshi said, “If the decision does not come in our favour and President remains as it is then we will have to quit wrestling. Both me and Vinesh have the same thinking.”
Sakshi, who was present at the Sports Conclave held in Kolkata, said the decision of the committee should have come earlier. Despite the delay, the Olympic medallist believes the committee will rule in favour of the wrestlers.
“The decision should have come by now but they need 10 more days time and we expecting a result in our favour because we mustered a lot of courage before starting the protest.
“We did this because we had enough of what we are going through over the years and we don’t want future wrestlers to face what we faced,” said Sakshi.
Though the Indian wrestler rued the delay in the decision, Sakshi went on to thank the work WFI was doing. “I am happy with the progress and I want the decision to come a bit faster because we want to be stress-free and focus on our game because Asian Games are coming and we will have the trials for it.
“So, the main thing is that the result should come fast and they are doing a fine job,” added Sakshi.
“We are fighting against such a strong person and we can’t go through all that again. We can’t go back and face the same thing again. The tournaments, the fights etc, but why are you speaking negative! We have never thought of losing this battle.
“We are positive that it will come in our favour. We are not doing anything wrong. We are fighting for a new fresh start,” asserted Sakshi.
Meanwhile, with Women’s Day just around the corner, the Indian wrestler shared a special message. “Women's Day is not only for women but also the men because men have a big role to play behind those women who are working. Everyone should support their daughters, sisters and wife. For them Women's Day should be every day, not just one single day and should encourage them to do what they want to do for their country,” signed off Sakshi.