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Wrestling Federation of India suspended 30 overage wrestlers from junior competitions after investigating 400 cases.
Wrestling mat (Representative Image)
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has temporarily suspended 30 overage wrestlers from junior-level competitions after investigating over 400 cases in the past month. The action follows complaints, primarily from coaches and wrestlers in Delhi ‘Akharas’, alleging that many wrestlers from Haryana obtained fake birth certificates to claim eligibility for junior-level events falsely.
Two of the overage wrestlers even won medals at the recent Khelo India Games in Bihar. A senior WFI official explained, “We do not want to ruin the careers of wrestlers, so we have barred them only from junior-level competitions, such as U18 and Cadets. Those over 18 should compete at the senior level and represent their original state.”
The suspended wrestlers must apologise and admit their wrongdoing to be reinstated. The WFI official revealed that around 30 offenders were suspended over the last 30-40 days, most of whom were influenced by their coaches in Haryana and obtained fake birth certificates by bribing officials in Delhi’s Narela and Rohini zones.
“Out of 436 cases, approximately 300 were from the Narela zone, with the rest from areas like Sultanpuri and Mangolpuri in the Rohini zone. These wrestlers sought fake certificates from Begampura to represent Delhi because it is tough to get selected in Haryana teams. Following complaints, we verified with the MCD and the Delhi Cantonment Board and confirmed the certificates were fake,” the official said.
The official criticised the coaches’ role, stating, “Coaches are to blame as they want their students to win medals and gain fame, leading them to allow overage wrestlers to compete at the junior level.”
The WFI also reported a female wrestler to the Khelo India Games Technical Committee for submitting a fake birth certificate. “This female wrestler provided a certificate issued by the Delhi Cantonment Board, but upon verification, the Board confirmed no such certificate was issued.”
The official explained that wrestlers paid cyber cafe owners to create fake bar codes on these certificates, making them appear genuine when scanned. As a preventive measure, the WFI has decided not to consider recently issued birth certificates.
Separately, the WFI suspended Haryana coach Sanjay Lather after receiving a sexual harassment complaint against him during the Khelo India Games. “The complaint stated that this coach, appointed by the state government, entered a female wrestler’s room after the competition ended. The Internal Complaints Committee investigated the matter and decided to terminate him from all wrestling activities for life,” the official said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov… Read More
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