Anita Sheoran concerned for women wrestlers' safety after her defeat to Sanjay Singh in WFI Elections

Anita Sheoran, a former Commonwealth Games gold medalist and recent contender for the presidency of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), has expressed her disappointment with the outcomes of the recent WFI elections, particularly concerning the safety and representation of women wrestlers.

In an interview with the Indian Express, Sheoran, who lost the election to Sanjay Singh, a close associate of Brij Bhushan Singh, highlighted the lack of female representation in the WFI. She remarked, "Despite the issue being a serious one about women safety, the WFI today does not have even one woman member. I was at the elections yesterday (Thursday) and after seeing the environment created and behaviour of people from Brij Bhushan’s camp I don’t think they will ever allow any wrestler with independent views to be part of the federation. They want to keep wrestlers as far as possible from the federation."

Sheoran expressed her skepticism about the safety of women wrestlers under the new leadership. “The whole country has seen who was being garlanded yesterday after the elections. It is now clear who the dummy is and who will actually run the federation. There is no cleanup in the WFI. Who will bring about change? I don’t think women wrestlers will be safe in wrestling. Women, including juniors, have been fearful for so many years… they could not even raise their voices. And now the voices of women wrestlers have been crushed again. If something bad happens to a woman wrestler today, they won’t have the courage to speak up. The country’s top women wrestlers were brave and spoke up about sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan, but today they have been defeated. If wrestlers like Vinesh and Sakshi can’t make a difference today, which woman will have the guts to complain ever again."

She also shared her emotional response to Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik's decision to retire. "Every time I watch Sakshi’s video, my eyes fill with tears. To see an Olympic medalist retire like this was heartbreaking. Bajrang was preparing for the Olympics, but he fought a battle to ensure that women wrestlers remained safe. Same with Vinesh (Phogat). They raised the voice of women. But what did they get today? Their only demand was reforms in the WFI and that a woman become the president in place of Brij Bhushan. Despite putting so much on the line, women wrestlers in the country got nothing.

Watch: Bajrang Punia stopped from meeting PM Modi by Delhi Police, leaves Padma Shri on footpath

(Quotes sourced from The Indian Express)