Indian Olympic Association calls emergency Executive Council meeting to discuss protesting wrestlers’ demands

The meeting, which has been called after protesting wrestlers wrote to IOA chief P.T. Usha, will take place at 5.45 p.m. today (January 20)

As wrestler’s sit-in protest entered third day, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday called an emergency Executive Council meeting to discuss their demands.

The meeting will take place at 5.45 p.m. on January 20. The emergency meet has been called after the protesting wrestlers wrote a letter to IOA chief P.T. Usha, urging her to form a panel to look into the allegations of sexual harrassment by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

A day after threatening to lodge multiple FIRs against the WFI President, the wrestlers alleged in their letter financial misappropriation (of funds) on part of the WFI and claimed that the coaches and sports science staff at the National camp are “absolutely incompetent”.

Putting forward four demands, the wresters wrote: “We request the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to immediately appoint a committee to enquire into the complaints of sexual harassment.” The wrestlers also reiterated their demand that WFI be disbanded and its President be sacked.

“A new committee should be formed to run the affairs of WFI in consultation with the wrestlers,” they wrote in their fourth and last demand.

The letter has been signed by five wrestlers — Tokyo Olympics medallists Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia, Rio Games bronze winner Sakshi Malik and World Championship medallists Vinesh Phogat and Deepak Punia.

Further in their letter, the celebrated athletes pleaded, “It has taken a lot of courage for us wrestlers to come together and protest against the WFI President. We fear for our lives. If he is not sacked then the careers of all the young who joined the dharna will be over.” They ended the letter by writing that “we will not budge until the WFI President is sacked.