The killer of wrestling!
Politics in the field of sports is not new to the country, in fact it is seen that sports are less and politics are more. This politics comes up from time to time on the occasion of sports association elections. Both struggle and collusion between political leaders for dominance over organizations can be seen; But the allegation of sexual abuse of athletes by the president of the sports association sent an earthquake in the sports world of the country! Many athletes started protesting at Jantar Mantar in capital Delhi.
Three Olympic medalists, as well as two world champions, participated in the movement and it became a national topic. All India Wrestling Federation president, MP Brijbhushan Singh was accused of being a dictator along with allegations of sexual abuse by these athletes. So the matter has reached a critical point. As the allegations were made against an MP of the ruling party at the Centre, and the accusers included athletes of international repute, it was natural to create a stir.
Maharashtra may well remember that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray was in the limelight in the mid-term for opposing his visit to Ayodhya. Sports Ministry of the Union Government had to take cognizance of the allegations as the players were celebrities. After lengthy discussions with the agitating players, a seven-member inquiry committee headed by world champion boxer Mary Kom was formed to probe the matter. In fact, this topic is not limited to wrestling and sports. This is a serious issue in terms of the overall sports culture of the country. A large number of young women are coming to many sports.
They are increasing the reputation of the country at national as well as international level. In this background, allegations of this nature are serious. Apart from blocking the path of many young women in the field of sports, it also threatens to make them mentally ill. Therefore, all the concerned parties should handle this issue seriously and responsibly without sensationalizing it. After Vinesh Phogat’s defeat at the Tokyo Olympics, Singh referred to her as a ‘fake Sikka’. Phogat also alleged that due to this he became mentally unstable and reached the point of suicide. This behavior of the head of the sports organization is offensive. Three-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist Phogat has accused Singh of sexually abusing women athletes. It should also be noted here that no player who has been sexually abused has come forward.
Singh’s authoritarianism, arbitrary administration or indifference to providing facilities to players are different allegations, and allegations of sexual abuse of players are different. Both cannot be considered from the same point of view. Although Phogat has broached the subject, no concrete evidence has been presented in this regard. So it is not right to cage someone on such charges without any verification. There should be a thorough investigation into this matter. Phogat should submit the names of the exploited players to the inquiry committee and investigate the matter and if the allegations are found to be true, strict action should be taken against them.
But it would not be fair to destroy one’s political career on mere allegations. There is also the risk of being accused of treason to end one’s career tomorrow. The fringes of wrestling organization politics on this issue will not go unnoticed. Uttar Pradesh vs Haryana clash is a tradition in the wrestling federation. Brijbhushan Singh represents Uttar Pradesh. Haryana players have been affected by some of their arbitrary decisions. After gaining international success, wrestling started gaining ‘glamour’ in the last decade. As the athletes who depended solely on government aid started getting corporate sponsors, they got the benefit of foreign coaching as well as the guidance of foreign coaches.
Meanwhile, the wrestling federation last year banned such outside help and made such assistance a condition of the wrestling federation’s approval. It adversely affected the facilities available to the players. After the Tokyo Olympics, none of the athletes went abroad, their foreign coaches were also removed. The players who practiced with the Indian coaches did not get the training they wanted. Meanwhile, the wrestling federation signed an agreement with the wrestlers in 2018, as did the BCCI; But it was also not implemented properly. On the one hand, the help received from outside was stopped and on the other hand, the wrestling federation was not helping enough, and the players were dissatisfied.
Nobody could do anything before the tyranny of Singh, the president of the wrestling federation. Dissatisfaction against them gradually began to bubble up and culminated in serious accusations. After seeing all this situation, it can be realized that this is not as simple politics as it seems. Overall, this is a dirty game in the wrestling arena. Dirty in both senses. If the players make false allegations of sexual abuse against Singh to hurt their financial interests, even if the allegations against him are true, it would be called foul play. That is why the entire case should be thoroughly investigated and the truth should be brought out and strict action should be taken against the culprits.
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