IOA forms seven-member committee to report to IOA President on sexual harassment claims made against WFI President

Some of the nation’s top wrestlers, including Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik among others, remained in protest against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). 

After taking notice of the situation, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) responded on Friday. The IOA understands the concerns and has set up a seven-member committee to investigate the matter.

The committee comprises eminent sportspersons such as Mary Kom and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt. Other members of the committee include Alaknanda Ashok, Dola Banarjee, Sahdev Yadav, Shlok Chandra and Talish Ray.

The wrestlers have clarified their feelings about the President of the WFI, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, and have addressed a letter to the President of the IOA regarding the same. 

Emergency meeting ahead held in furtherance of the issue at hand

The Executive Council of the IOA met around 6 pm, and the meeting lasted until 7:30 pm, with discussions focusing on understanding the grievances of the wrestlers. The meeting was attended by the likes of Abhinav Bindra and Shiva Keshavan. 

The committee has decided that the comments in the media must not sway them and that they must look into the matter independently. The committee will, therefore, look into the matter from both sides and form a report, which will then be submitted to the IOA President. The committee has been informed to meet at the earliest to tackle the issue. 

Apart from the sexual harassment allegations made by the wrestlers, claims of financial misappropriation from the sponsorship amount received by TATA Motors were also presented in the letter to the IOA President. The wrestlers have also raised concerns of incompetence about the coaching staff at camps.