Wrestler Vinesh Phogat Accuses WFI Officials of Sexual Misconduct

• Protests in India after wrestler accuses WFI officials of sexual abuse.
• At least 10 female wrestlers claim WFI president sexually exploited them.
• Accusations made during demonstration in Delhi.

After a prominent Indian wrestler accused the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and other instructors of sexually abusing female wrestlers for years, protests broke out in India.

At least ten female wrestlers allegedly admitted to Vinesh Phogat that WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh had sexually exploited them.

She made the claims during a demonstration against WFI on Wednesday in Delhi’s capital city.

The claims have been refuted by Mr. Singh.

However, Phogat and other female athletes declared they would boycott international competitions unless Mr. Singh was fired.

Additionally, they have resisted ending their protest until the government takes action to solve their issues. India’s sports ministry requested a response to the accusations from WFI by Wednesday.

One of India’s most accomplished female wrestlers, Phogat holds medals from the Asian, Commonwealth, and World Championships.

The 28-year-old, who comes from a line of professional female wrestlers, is also a prominent opponent of discriminatory attitudes toward women in sports. In 2021, she spoke to BBC Sports on how she defied gender stereotypes to become a great professional athlete despite encountering sexism as a child.

Phogat said that some of the WFI coaches assigned to national training camps had been “sexually harassing women wrestlers for years” at the protest held at the Jantar Mantar historic site on Wednesday.

“Singh is also involved in sexual harassment,” the wrestler added. “I know at least 10-12 women wrestlers who have told me about the sexual exploitation they faced at the hands of the WFI president.”

Phogat asserted that she had not personally experienced harassment but claimed to have received threats of death from those close to Mr. Singh, a claim the latter disputes.

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Other wrestlers have spoken out against WFI and Mr. Singh since Wednesday.

Olympic bronze medalist wrestler Bajrang Punia, who was also present at the protest, accused the WFI president of conducting the wrestling federation “arbitrary.”
Everyone rejoices when India wins medals, but afterward, nobody seems to care how we are handled, particularly by the federation, the athlete claimed.

There is “no truth to the charges,” according to Mr. Singh, who is also an MP for the BJP in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He also refused to resign from his position.

“Anyone claiming that a wrestler has been sexually harassed by the WFI? It has only been spoken by Vinesh. I can be hanged on that day even if just one wrestler comes forward and claims to have been sexually harassed “In a statement, he stated.

In the meantime, the women’s national wrestling camp that was scheduled to take place this week has been cancelled by India’s sports authority due to the protests.

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