Sakshi Malik has announced her retirement from wrestling, as the Olympic medallist confirmed she would not compete under newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India president, Sanjay Kumar Singh - who she termed a 'right-hand' of former WFI president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia also underlined their disappointment with the results of the election, saying that it was unfortunate that the government did not bar Brij Bhushan's loyalists from contesting the election, while Vinesh noted that the alleged exploitation of women wrestlers would continue.
The trio had been part of a protest since January of this year against Brij Bhushan, with allegations of sexual harassment amongst others.
Sakshi announced her retirement in clear terms, placing her shoes upon the table and saying "We fought from our heart but if a man like Brij Bhushan, his business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I give up wrestling. From today onwards you will not see me on the mat [breaks down]...I thank all my country-men who supported us until today."
An emotional Sakshi, who left the press conference in tears, noted that not a single woman contestant was elected, saying "We have made demands for a woman president. If the president would be a woman, harassment would not happen. But, there was no participation of women earlier and today you can see the list, not even a single woman was given a position. We had fought with complete strength but this fight will continue. The wrestlers of the new generation have to fight."
#WATCH | Delhi: Wrestler Sakshi Malik breaks down as she leaves after addressing a press conference.
Former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's aide Sanjay Singh has been elected as the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India. pic.twitter.com/Rc85nAkvgy
- ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2023
Vinesh Phogat expressed her disappointment at Singh's election, saying "Bajrang and I had also met the home minister and we clearly told him the names of the female wrestlers and what has happened to which wrestler. We urged him to please look into it. He assured us that he will look into it. But after waiting for 3-4 months, we started the protest at Jantar Mantar."
"It feels sad that people like Sanjay Singh are getting the top position. Making him president means the coming generation of women could well suffer exploitation. What happened behind the curtain will now happen in the open now. I don't know how we will get justice in our country. It's sad that the future of wrestling is in the dark. To whom shall we convey our grief?... We are still fighting."
"It's unfortunate that government did not stand by its word that no Brij Bhushan loyalist will contest the WFI elections," rued Bajrang and added that he was not sure if he would continue to pursue competitive wrestling. "With Sanjay Singh becoming president, I don't think women wresters will get justice because back door politics is still on to break their resolve. About 15-20 girls met with the sports minister and told him about the exploitation and today they are down to just six and they too are being coerced to pull out."
"Following our protest in January, an oversight committee was formed by the ministry. Several female wrestlers had deposed before the panel, following which the sports minister said in front of the media that any person associated with Brij Bhushan will not enter the WFI. We waited for the outcome of the oversight committee for three months before starting the protest again. We were fighting for the truth and honour of our sisters and daughters. The fight we have fought, I feel the next one or two generations will have to continue the fight to get justice. We fought with full strength but the promise the government had made, it could not stand firm on that. Very sad to say that. Still, we have faith in the judiciary."