World Wrestling Body Calls for Suspension of All Ties With India

The diktat comes weeks after the IOC punished India for denying visas to Pakistan shooters for the ISSF World Cup.

File pictures of Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik (L), Bajrang Punia (C) and Vinesh Phogat (R).

(Photo: Reuters/PTI/IANS)

Wrestling’s world governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW), has asked all national federations under it to stop communication with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in the wake of the International Olympic Committee’s hauling up of India.

The denial of visas to Pakistani shooters for the recently-concluded ISSF World Cup in New Delhi had led to the IOC suspensing discussions with India for hosting future global events.

“UWW recommends to all the affiliated and associated national wrestling federations to suspended their discussions or relations with the Indian wrestling federation.”

United World Wrestling, in a letter to national federations

WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as well as Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar were unavailable for comments.

India Pay Price for Pak Stand

The denial of visas to Pakistani shooters in the Delhi World Cup last month has jeopardised India's chances of hosting the Olympics or any global event with the IOC suspending all such discussions with the country and recommending that no big tournament be awarded to it.

India denied visas to Pakistani shooters for the World Cup in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel. As a result, the IOC revoked the two Olympic quotas on offer in the men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the tournament, where two Pakistani athletes were slated to compete.

It remains to be seen to what extent the UWW directive would affect Indian wrestlers.

Six Indians had claimed medals at last week’s Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov international meet in Bulgaria. Bajrang Punia and Pooja Dhanda had won gold, while Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Sarita Mor and Sandeep Tomar bagged silver medals.