File image of Narsingh Yadav. Getty Images
Wrestlers who are not part of the protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh have demanded the resumption of the national camp to prepare for the Asian Games. There’s currently no national camp as India’s top wrestlers including Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat are protesting against Brij Bhushan at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
The WFI chief has been accused of sexual harassment and two FIRs have been registered against him.
Protesting wrestlers have demanded the removal of Brij Bhushan from his post and his arrest.
Ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh indicates he won’t go down without a fight in sexual harassment case
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Read: Protest expanding like Shaheen Bagh, target isn’t me but BJP: Brij Bhushan
Amid the protests, non-protesting wrestlers have demanded for the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to reopen its centres for them.
The men’s national camp for freestyle and greco roman wrestlers is held at Sports Authority of India’s centre in Bahalgarh (Sonepat) while the women’s camp is organised in Lucknow.
The national camp was closed on April 8, a day before the Asian Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, and has not yet restarted.
More than 300 wrestlers in 10 weight categories — senior, junior, cadet and U15 — train at SAI centre in Sonepat while the Lucknow centre accommodates more than 100 women wrestlers.
“I don’t have proper sparring partners with me to train. We need to be in national camp. The Asian Games trials are just two months away. The SAI should restart the camp. Why should the junior wrestlers suffer,” Narsingh Pancham Yadav told PTI from Mumbai.
“There are about 25 wrestlers where I train and most of them are junior. So obviously I don’t have proper training partners. They are inexperienced. Not much time is left for Asian Games and after that, the World Championship is also scheduled. The national camp must restart,” said the national championship silver medallist.
Read: Timeline of wrestlers’ protest
Asked about the ongoing protest by the top wresters, Narsingh said, “I don’t know the truth. If something like that (sexual harassment) has happened, then it’s wrong.”
Sandeep Deshwal, who competes in greco roman style in 82 kg category, also said it has been a struggle for him since the national camp shut.
“I am in Rohtak since the camp closed. It’s really difficult. Jor nahi ho pa raha (The mat training has become a big issue). I have spoken to the coaches also several times but no one knows why the national camp is not restarting.”
National greco roman coach Hargobind Singh also appeared clueless.
“I have spoken to SAI officials multiple times but have not got a definitive answer. A lot of time has passed since the Asian Championship in Astana (April 9-14). By this time the camp should have resumed,” said Hargobind.
“It’s an Asian Games year and there should not be this big a gap in training,” he added.
The Indian wrestlers had won 14 medals at the Asian Championship with the women winning seven of them.
While Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya (injury) and Vinesh Phogat chose not to compete in Astana, other prominent wrestlers, like Deepak Punia and Sarita Mor, who are world championships medallists, could not win a medal.
Lalita Sharma, the executive director at SAI Sonpeat centre said they have “not received any communication regarding the national camp as of now”.
The PTI tried to reach out to SAI DG Sandip Pradhan but several calls to him went unanswered. He also did not respond to messages.
Meanwhile, a woman wrestler said unless there is clarity she won’t like to join the national camp.
“I am doing fine at my training centre. The wrestlers who are sound financially, like a few from Rajasthan and UP, perhaps for them the camp is a better place because they get diet, supplements, gym and other required facilities but for us, we can train anywhere,” the wrestler who did not wish to be named said.
“There has to be clarity who the coaches will be at the camp and who do we need to reach out to, in case there is an issue. Wrestling is as much mental as physical. In the current scenario, it’s difficult to say anything if I would like to rejoin the camp.
“If the camp resumes at Lucknow centre only, then it should be fine but if it’s shifted to some other place, we need to get clarity on a few things. Otherwise, also not many women wrestlers join the camp, most of them prefer to train at their own training centres,” she said.
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