Sakshi Malik retires from sport after Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s close aide Sanjay Singh wins WFI elections | Sport-others News
2016 Rio Olympics bronze medall Sakshi Malik has announced quitting wrestling following Sanjay Singh being elected as president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
“Yeh ladai dil se ladi (We fought this battle with our heart). In the end, we slept for 40 days on the roads but I’d like to thank the several people of our country who came to support us during the protests earlier this year. If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling…” Malik told members of the media in a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday before she walked out in tears with those present at the venue appealing her to reconsider her decision.
#WATCH | Delhi: Wrestler Sakshi Malik breaks down as she says “…If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling…” pic.twitter.com/26jEqgMYSd
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2023
Malik, one of the top wrestlers in the country, also has three Commonwealth Games medals including a gold in Birmingham last year and four Asian Championships podium finishes to her name.
Malik’s announcement came the same day as former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s close associate Sanjay Singh is elected as the president of Wrestling Federation of India after he beat Anita Sheoran 40 votes to seven. Prem Chand Lochab, who was from the opposing faction seemingly supported the protesting wrestlers, was elected as the secretary-general.
Also present in the press conference were Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who’d been the face of the wrestler protests earlier this year in the national capital for investigations into the allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers BJP MP Brij Bhushan, casting doubts on their own future in the sport.
Phogat claimed that earlier this year the protesting wrestlers had met with the Home Miner, Amit Shah to speak on the matter. “Aap mujhe 30-40 din ka time dijiye (You give me 30-40 days time),” Phogat paraphrased the response she received from Shah before adding, “It was only after waiting for 3-4 months that we protested.”
Last week, Bajrang and Sakshi had met sports miner Anurag Thakur. It is learnt that the wrestlers wanted Sanjay Kumar to withdraw from the race. However, Sanjay Kumar said that there was no question of him pulling out because he was eligible to stand for elections. “Nobody should interfere with elections of a federation if it is happening in a democratic manner.”
