WFI relocates National camps to address indiscipline issues

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is moving the National training camps for wrestlers to Pune and Gandhinagar. This change aims to reduce incidents of "indiscipline" among the athletes. The camps have not been active since January 2023 due to protests against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faced serious allegations of sexual harassment. WFI President Sanjay Singh announced that the National camp will resume after the Asian Championships, which start on March 25 in Amman, Jordan. Wrestlers who ranked in the top four during trials will join the camp. The federation decided to relocate the camps from their usual sites in Sonepat and Lucknow to promote discipline and avoid past controversies. Singh highlighted that the Sonepat center had issues with wrestlers not following rules. The new location in Pune, known for its strict discipline, is expected to improve the situation. Additionally, Lucknow has been avoided for women's training to prevent any potential conflicts related to the previous WFI chief. The WFI also announced that the junior National Championships will be held in Kota, Rajasthan, starting April 20. This decision is part of their goal to spread the sport to different regions of India. In a separate issue, some wrestlers recently banned for doping violations trained at Inspire Institute of Sports in Karnataka. The WFI claimed they were unaware of the athletes' bans and were not involved in that training camp, emphasizing they would have alerted organizers if they knew about the ineligible participants. The World governing body UWW has been informed about the situation.