NO PARTICIPATION IN ASIAN GAMES UNTIL MATTER IS RESOLVED, SAY INDIAN WRESTLERS

Sat 10 June 2023:

Indian Wrestler Sakshi Malik announced on Saturday that she will not compete in the Asian Games unless the wrestlers’ grievances are fully handled despite the current negotiations.

Malik claimed that nobody comprehends the psychological struggles that the wrestlers face on a daily basis when speaking with media.

The 30-year-old traveled to Sonipat to take part in the Mahapanchayat, which will decide how wrestlers would go moving forward after Brij Bhushan Singh, the outgoing president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), is accused of sexual harassment.

“We will participate in Asian Games only when all these issues will be resolved. You can’t understand how mentally exhausting this is and what we are going through everyday, ” Sakshi said.

#WATCH | "We will participate in Asian Games only when all these issues will be resolved. You can't understand what we're going through mentally each day": Wrestler Sakshee Malikkh in Sonipat.#wrestlersprotests pic.twitter.com/CH1xGs8Svu

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) June 10, 2023

Sakshi’s comments have come at a time when trials for the Asiad are scheduled to take place in the ongoing month. All the wrestlers, including those involved in the protest, need to compete at trials and earn their place in the India team for the Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8, 2023.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sakshi along with Bajrang Punia and others had met Union Sports Minister Anuarag Thakur at his home and said that the government has asked for time till June 15 for the police investigation to complete.

“The government has asked for time till June 15 for the police investigation to complete. It has agreed on most of our proposals related to wrestling. Now, we will keep these proposals in front of the farmers’ unions, women’s unions, our seniors and khap panchayats. So, we won’t have any protest till June 15 but our ‘movement’ against the WFI chief will continue,” Sakshi had told local media.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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