WFI wants details of wrestlers’ tie-ups with NGOs

Vinayak Padmadeo

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 26

While the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has let off wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sonam Malik and Divya Kakran for various acts of indiscipline, the body is in no mood to climb down against sports NGOs, including OGQ and JSW.

We will match those contracts with money from our sponsors. If they are not able to accommodate all, then the rest of the money will be borne by the federation —  A WFI source

WFI has asked all wrestlers who intend to take part in the selection trials to be held on August 31 to submit a written undertaking to disclose whether they have been signed by any sports NGO. If the said wrestler has a contract, he or she will have to submit a copy of the contract before appearing for the trials.

According to a WFI source, this was needed as the federation has never been supplied with the contract of some of the elite wrestlers, and secondly, it would weed out others who have been wrongfully claiming to get some sort of monetary support.

Importantly, some of the elite wrestlers will be asked to end their current contracts as the federation intends to match it with the support of its commercial partners Tata Motors.

“We will match those contracts with money from our sponsors. If they are not able to accommodate all, then the rest of the money will be borne by the federation,” the source said.

WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has taken a firm stance against the NGOs. “JSW, OGQ and in some way even TOPS have ruined our athletes. They do not do anything at the grassroots and just pick up the big talents. And the athletes that do not qualify, they dump them,” Singh had told The Tribune last month. “…Merely handing cash cards to premier players is not helping, these things ruin players.”

Singh had then suspended Vinesh, Sonam and Divya from all wrestling activities for varied degrees of indiscipline. All three have apologised and have been let off with a warning that another act of indiscipline will warrant a life ban.