Former wrestler Narsingh elected chairman of WFI’s athletes’ commission

NEW DELHI — Former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Narsingh Pancham Yadav was on Wednesday elected chairman of the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) Athletes’ Commission, here.

According to information received, a total of eight candidates were in fray for the seven positions and after polling, conducted on ballot paper, seven members got elected. They then chose Narsingh as chairman of the commission.

While lifting suspension of WFI, the United World Wrestling (UWW) had clearly stated that the move was subject to the Sanjay Singh-led national federation constituting an athletes’ commission to resolve the grievances of the grapplers.

Last year, six top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat sat on a protest at the Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of the then WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing women wrestlers.

Later new members were appointed in the federation, ending Brij Bhushan Singh’s tenure.

Who is Narsingh Yadav?

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he won the gold medal in the men’s freestyle 74 kg category. He was banned for four years in 2016 for failing dope tests.

Having won a bronze at the World Championships qualified Narsingh to the 2016 Rio Olympics but Sushil Kumar, who had missed the 2016 Summer Games qualification event due to injury, asked for a trial between himself and Narsingh and moved the Delhi High Court.

It was only after his appeal was rejected that it was confirmed that Narsingh was going to Rio. However, Yadav failed two anti-doping tests. He tested positive for methandienone, which he asserted was to “sabotage” his chances of competing at the Olympics, following which he was given a clean chit by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

The World Anti-Doping Agency later challenged the decision and the case was moved to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). A day prior to Yadav’s first bout at the Olympics, on August 18 2016, he was handed a four-year ban by the CAS.