Subhechcha Ganguly 
The United World Wrestling has delayed or barred India from participating in the World Championship next month due to its refusal to hold elections, which is a big setback for Indian wrestling.Kalyan Chaubey, the acting CEO of the Indian Olympic Association, acknowledged the news. This implies that while Indian wrestlers will still compete in the World Championships next month, they will do so as neutrals rather than representing their country. Furthermore, the national anthem won’t be played if Indian wrestlers place first on the podium.
The WFI’s elections have been severely delayed due to a number of controversies that have arisen. Elections for the federation, which oversees wrestling in India, were planned for June 2023. However, a series of demonstrations by Indian wrestlers and legal lawsuits from several state units have caused the polls to be continuously postponed.The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had created an ad hoc committee to manage the wrestling federation’s business in April with the instruction to organise new elections in 45 days; this deadline has since been postponed multiple times.
In a statement released in May, the UWW expressed its “deep concern” over the situation in India and forewarned of the prospect of suspension if the election deadline of 45 days was not adhered to.
Failure to comply with this condition could result in UWW suspending the federation, requiring the athletes to compete under a neutral flag. It is recalled that UWW had intervened in this scenario by moving the Asian Championship originally scheduled for New Delhi earlier this year,” the UWW stated in a statement released in May.
