Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has decided to return her Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Vinesh expressed her dissatisfaction with the election of Singh, who is considered a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, by posting a letter on her social media account. This decision follows the recent returns of awards by Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia and Deaflympics champion Virender Singh Yadav. The Sports Ministry has suspended the newly-elected panel for not adhering to the provisions of its own constitution, and has requested the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the WFI. The government cited the hasty organization of the U-15 and U-20 nationals without proper procedure and notice to wrestlers as one of the reasons for the suspension. Sanjay Singh was elected as the president of the WFI after securing 13 out of 15 posts. The wrestlers had demanded that no close associate of Brij Bhushan be allowed into the WFI administration. In response to the election, Rio Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik announced her retirement from the sport.
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has decided to return her Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). This comes after Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia and Deaflympics champion Virender Singh Yadav also returned their awards. The Sports Ministry has suspended the newly-elected panel for not following the provisions of its own constitution. In response, the government has asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the WFI. Sanjay Singh’s election has caused unrest among wrestlers, with Rio Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik announcing her retirement from the sport.
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Vinesh Phogat renounces Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards.
