NEW DELHI: The
Indian Olympic Association
(
IOA
) announced on Monday the dissolution of the
ad-hoc committee
for wrestling, stating that there was no longer a necessity for its existence following the reinstatement of the national federation, which now assumes full administrative control of the sport.
The decision to dissolve the ad-hoc committee was influenced by the successful organisation of the selection trials for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament next month, for which the panel collaborated closely with the
Wrestling Federation of India
(WFI).
Established in December last year, the ad-hoc committee was formed after the
sports ministry
suspended the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). However, the WFI received a significant boost when the suspension imposed by the global governing body,
United World Wrestling
, was lifted in February.
"The decision to dissolve the Adhoc Committee comes in light of the lifting of the ban on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the successful completion of Selection Trials by the Adhoc Committee appointed by the IOA as per the directives of the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi," said the IOA order issued on March 10.
The ad-hoc committee, under the chairmanship of
Bhupender Singh Bajwa
was constituted on December 23 after the newly-elected WFI, led by
Sanjay Singh
, had allegedly flouted its own rules.
Earlier this month, the ad-hoc committee organised trials to determine the teams for the upcoming Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan, scheduled for next month.
During these trials, notable wrestlers
Vinesh Phogat
and
Bajrang Punia
participated despite their earlier protests. Vinesh successfully secured her spot for the Olympic qualifiers in the 50kg category.
With the trials concluded smoothly and successfully, the administrative control of the sport has now been fully transferred back to the WFI.
The IOA instructed WFI to appoint a "Safeguarding Committee Officer" to address concerns of sexual harassment and other issues such as adherence to rules.
"...as instructed by the UWW, it is imperative that the WFI appoint a Safeguarding Committee / Officer at the earliest to address the concerns of abuse and harassment and to ensure adherence to all rules, regulations, and guidelines set forth by the UWW and other relevant authorities," the IOA letter added.
"Furthermore, the WFI is also directed to conduct the elections of the Athletes Commission in a time-bound manner, in accordance with the established procedures and guidelines.
"This step is essential to promote athlete representation and participation in the decision-making processes of the WFI."
(With PTI inputs)
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