In April 2021, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, made the statement “Hang me but don’t stop wrestling” amidst the protests by Indian wrestlers and supporters against the exclusion of wrestling from the list of core sports for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games Federation had earlier announced that shooting and archery would be included as additional sports for the event, but wrestling, which has been a core sport in the Games since its inception, was excluded. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh appealed to the government and the Indian Olympic Association to take up the matter with the Commonwealth Games Federation and urged them to ensure that wrestling was included in the list of core sports. Several Indian wrestlers and sports personalities also expressed their disappointment and called for the inclusion of wrestling in the Games.
The exclusion of wrestling from the core sports list was seen as a major setback for India, which has a strong wrestling tradition and has won numerous medals in the sport at the Commonwealth Games.
The WFI chief added that he is ready to be “hanged” but wrestling activity, including national championships and camps, should not stop as it would be detrimental to the cadet and junior wrestlers.
“All wrestling activity has come to a standstill in the the last four months. I say hang me, but don’t stop wrestling activity; don’t play with the future of children. Allow the cadet nationals to take place, whosoever organises it… be it Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, but don’t stop the (wrestling) activity,” said Brij Bhushan in an interaction with the media
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), made this statement in response to the protests that erupted over his handling of the federation’s affairs. Bhushan has been accused of mismanaging the federation and not holding national championships or camps for the wrestlers, causing them to suffer. He further clarified that he is ready to face the consequences of his actions but does not want the young wrestlers to suffer. The wrestling fraternity has been demanding Bhushan’s resignation, but he has refused to step down, saying he has done nothing wrong.
