March 13, 2025: Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiye Janta Party (BJP) leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has expressed his thoughts following the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ decision to lift the ban on the WFI, restoring its recognition as a National Sports Federation (NSF) for the sport of wrestling.
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had suspended the WFI after the newly elected president, Sanjay Singh, announced the hosting of U-15 and U-20 nationals in Nandini Nagar, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, in December 2023.
In response to the recent development, Brij Bhushan shared his views, stating, “WFI and other sports unions are independent unions. Some issues came up, so the government banned it. On the direction of the Supreme Court, an election (for the presidential post) was held, and Sanjay Singh was elected. Later, the ban was imposed again. The government has discussed the issue with coaches, players, people related to the sports and lawyers, and the ban has now been removed as it was harming the sport.”
He further emphasized that he believed 99.9% of people would be happy with the decision and hoped the current federation would work honestly to bring wrestling back on track. Singh also noted that the camps for the sport had been closed for 26 months, underlining the importance of resuming activities.
The suspension of the WFI occurred amid significant protests by top Indian wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, who accused the former president of sexual assault. These protests led to a series of disruptions, including a ban by United World Wrestling (UWW) on the WFI in August 2023, following the failure to hold elections within a stipulated time.
In December 2023, Sanjay Singh was elected as the new president of WFI, but his appointment was met with protests from wrestlers, citing his ties to the former president. The Ministry suspended the WFI once again after Singh’s announcement regarding the hosting of nationals in Gonda.
An ad-hoc committee from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was reinstated to oversee the day-to-day operations of the federation, as efforts to stabilize the situation continue.
