Wrestlers complain of unpaid dues to Oversight Committee; Brij Bhushan says he made contract announcement in ‘excitement’ of getting a sponsor

— “In 2019, I was told I would be given Rs 1 lakh per month from the money they received from (sponsorship deal with) Tata. After that, I got a cheque of Rs 5.5 lakh and later, in 2021, Rs 4.5 lakh. I received approximately Rs 10 lakh,” Ravi Dahiya, Tokyo Olympics silver medall.— “I was in Grade B and was entitled to Rs 25 lakh per year as per the contract. So far, I have received 2 cheques totalling to Rs 5.25 approximately,” Pooja Dhanda, 2018 World Championship bronze medall.— “I was promised Rs 1 lakh per month but I just received Rs 6 lakh lump sum and was told I’d get the rest of the money later,” Deepak Punia, 2019 World Championship silver medall.
These are testimonies of some of the wrestlers who deposed before the government-appointed Oversight Committee, whose full report is mentioned in the Delhi Police chargesheet.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had announced annual central contracts for Indian wrestlers in 2018. In the same year Tata Motors came on board as the principal sponsor of the WFI.

Like the trio, every wrestler who appeared for the hearings pointed out the false promises made the Wrestling Federation of India, unpaid dues and non-exent contracts, with one of them telling the committee she wondered where the ‘sponsorship money promised to them went’.
Yet, as they did with the sexual harassment allegations, the MC Mary Kom-led panel did not raise a red flag or recommend an investigation or audit from competent authorities.
Instead, it merely suggested that the WFI ‘use services of experts in contract management’, called for ‘clear communication’ with stakeholders and advised them to ‘maintain proper records of any contract which they have entered’.

When the government appointed the Oversight Committee in January, it also tasked the members to look into the allegations of financial mismanagement made the wrestlers apart from the sexual harassment claims.
In its summary titled ‘Breach of Players Contract’, the panel noted: “Various players during their deposition brought out that they had a contract with Tata Motors, who are title sponsors of the WFI, wherein they were promised that every player would be provided sponsorship money based on a certain grading formulated WFI.”
Through the examinations of ‘various documents provided the WFI’, it emerged that there was ‘no such provision made in the contract’.

However, after the athletes had demanded they should be paid from the sponsorship amount if they were to wear singlets bearing the sponsor’s logo, a fresh contract was drafted the federation’s commercial partners.
Brij Bhushan said the announcement of paid contracts for players was made in ‘excitement’ of getting a new sponsor on board, which never materialised.
During his deposition, the WFI’s assant secretary Vinod Tomar, a co-accused in the sexual harassment case, said they signed a contract with ‘Vinesh, Bajrang and Sakshi’. Tomar said there were two other athletes who signed the contract but he ‘couldn’t remember their names.’ When the committee asked for a copy of the contract neither Tomar nor the athletes were in possession of it.
According to Tomar, Bajrang’s annual contract was worth Rs 30 lakh, Vinesh, he said, was either ’Rs 20 or 25 lakh’ and Sakshi’s contract was valued at Rs 20 lakh.
When a lawyer co-opted into the committee asked about the process to decide which player would get a contract and its worth, Tomar replied: “(Former) President (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh), Secretary (VN Prasood), etc met and decided that players who are preparing for the Olympics would get Rs 30 lakh, Rs 25 lakh for World Championship medall…”
However, the athletes said they did not receive the promised sum.
World Championship silver medall Anshu Malik told the committee: “In February 2021, I read a statement ( the federation) in a newspaper that I along with Sonam (Malik) was upgraded to A category although we did not receive anything in Grade B… I had received one cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh but did not know for which category contract it was. We weren’t asked to sign any contract but were told we would get Rs 2.5 lakh every three months. Later, I received one (installment of) Rs 2.5 lakh on June 8 but nothing so far after that.”
Rio Olympics bronze medall Sakshi Malik said she was ‘confused to date’ whether she featured in Grade A or B. “I think I received an installment of Rs 5 or 6 lakh. Where the rest of the money went I do not know. I used to call the federation and they put it on the sponsors while the sponsors blamed the federation,” Sakshi told the committee.
World Championship medall Vinesh Phogat said she was promised a contract worth Rs 25 lakh but got paid Rs 11-11.50 lakh in two installments.
Former World Championship bronze medall and ex-Asian champion Sarita Mor said the federation claimed they’d sent three installments but she received just one, amounting to Rs 67,000.
Bajrang, whose contract was worth Rs 30 lakh, was given Rs 22 lakh, according to Tomar. Bajrang contested the claim, saying he did not receive the said amount. When the committee countered Tomar, asking him why the promised Rs 30 lakh was not paid to Bajrang, he blamed it on the sponsors’ demands.