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Sakshi Malik gives up wrestling
The 2016 Summer Olympics Bronze medalist, quit the sport after concerns over the organizing body’s newly elected chief
Sakshi Malik / X@SakshiMalik
Indian Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik announced her decision to quit wrestling at a public press conference held on December 22. The announcement came as a shock to the wrestling community.
The decision came after Sanjay Singh, alias of Brij Bhushan, was announced to be the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Malik, along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat and others, had accused Brij Bhushan Singh, a member of the Lok Sabha and president of the WFI, of sexual and mental harassment. The allegations against Singh had gained traction during the ongoing wrestlers' protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
A total of seven female wrestlers, including one minor, had testified against Singh in an FIR, drawing attention to the serious misconduct within the WFI. Malik spoke about the challenges they faced in coming forward with their accusations.
Speaking at the press conference, the anguished wrestler said, "It took me a lot of years to gain the courage to fight against the president (then, Brij Bhushan) of the federation. It took us many years to muster up the courage to protest, but you all know the outcome.”
“That president’s alias, someone who he loves like a son and who acts like a right hand, has been made the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India,” she said of Sanjay Singh.
Malik argued that the demand for a female president was crucial to creating an environment free from harassment, pointing out the absence of female participation in the nomination list.
“The government did not fulfill its commitments. We had demanded for a female president. If we had a female president, we wouldn’t be harassed. There was no female participation before, and even now no female in the nomination list to begin with,” Malik asserted.
Expressing gratitude to all those who supported the cause, Malik extended her thanks saying, “I’d like to thank all the women, soldiers, everybody who came and supported us. We couldn’t win but thank you all so much. I fought the fight and gave my heart to it, but if the president remains somebody like Brij Bhushan and now his business partner stays in this federation, then I’d like to sacrifice my wrestling and I will never be seen there.”
Satyapal Malik, ex-Governor of Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa and Meghalaya, came out in support of the athlete on X. He posted the video of the press conference, captioning, “Sakshi Malik is the only female wrestler from India to have won a medal for the country in Olympic wrestling. It is very sad for an Olympian player to say goodbye to wrestling after being disappointed with the system.”
Malik concluded her emotional speech by declaring her decision to sacrifice her wrestling career if individuals associated with Brij Bhushan continued to hold influential positions within the federation.
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