Sakshi Malik, bronze medalist at 2016 Rio Olympics, announced that she is quitting the sport in protest after India’s wrestling federation elected a new president backed by his predecessor, who was accused of sexual harassment by women athletes.
Malik, who won the women’s 58 kg freestyle bronze medal at the Olympics, had led protests earlier this year against Brij Bhushan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), in a case that drew international audience and cast a spotlight on the safety of women athletes in India.
Malik, 31, announced her retirement as soon as Sanjay Singh was elected as the new president.
Brij Bhushan Singh, also a federal lawmaker from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was charged in June 2023 with sexually harassing 6 women wrestlers.
He has rejected the charges, but the case is still pending before the trial court.
Malik said: “If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling.”
Brij Bhushan Singh had campaigned for Sanjay Singh to replace him and predicted his victory early on.
Malik. and other wrestlers, protested in January 2023 but called it off that month after the president was stripped of his administrative powers by the sports ministry.
In April, the athletes resumed their protest after the government did not disclose the findings from a panel that investigated the allegations.
United World Wrestling (UWW), the game’s governing body, suspended the WFI after the scandal.
The WFI missed the August deadline to appoint a new president, forcing Indian wrestlers to compete as neutral athletes in global events.
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