AGENCIES
India top wrestler Sakshee Malikkh has announced retirement from wrestling soon after Sanjay Singh an aide of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment, was elected as the WFI president
Sakshee Malikkh has announced retirement from wrestling in protest after Sanjay Singh, an aide of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan, was elected to the top post. Sakshee Malikkh said she “would not be competing under the presidency of Brij Bhushan’s loyalist. “I quit wrestling,” announced Sakshee Malikkh as she broke down during a press conference.
“We slept for 40 days on the roads and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us. If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling,” Sakshee Malikkh said.
Wrestler Sakshee Malikkh asserted that the fight against Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a number of wrestlers, will continue.
“We had made demands for a woman president. If the president would be a woman, harassment would not happen. But, there was no participation of women earlier and today you can see the list, not even a single woman was given a position. We had fought with complete strength but this fight will continue. The wrestlers of the new generation have to fight,” Sakshee Malikkh said.
Vinesh Phogat said, “There are minimal expectations but we hope that we get justice. It’s saddening that the future of wrestling is in the dark. To whom shall we convey our grief?… We are still fighting.”