“If democratic elections are held, we will have no objections”: United World Wrestling chief on WFI’s suspension

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: United World Wrestling (UWW) president Nenad Lalovic said on Monday that the Wrestling Federation of India’s suspension will be lifted if elections are held democratically and there are no complaints from stakeholders.

Lalovic, who is attending the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai, said if the problem is solved, the matter will not remain pending.

“If the elections are democratically performed then we will have no objections…After the elections, if there are no complaints from the stakeholders, we will lift the suspension almost immediately. We will not need to take it longer if the problem is solved..,” Lalovic, a member of IOC’s Executive Board, told media.

United World Wrestling suspended the Wrestling Federation of India in August this year due to the delay in holding elections.

UWW took the decision as WFI “failed to conduct elections” in the specified duration.
The WFI elections were originally slated to be held on August 12. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is hearing a petition, in August extended the stay on Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections till September 25.

The stay order came in the wake of a petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA) which challenged the move to allow the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to cast votes in the WFI polls.

The WFI’s elections have also been delayed due to controversies surrounding WFI.

Elections for the federation, which oversees wrestling in India, were initially planned for June this year. However, protests by Indian wrestlers over sexual harassment allegations against the then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and cases pertaining to state units led to the postponement of polls.

An ad hoc committee set up by the Indian Olympic Association is running the affairs of WFI at present.