Protesting wrestlers won't think of Asian Games untill they get justice, says Sakshi Malik

Star wrestler Sakshi Malik said on Saturday that none of the protesting wrestlers will participate in Asian games until they get justice in their movement against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of sexual harassment by female wrestlers.

"We will participate in Asian Games only when all these issues will be resolved. You can't understand how mentally exhausting this is and what we are going through everyday, " said Sakshi Malik in Sonipat.

wrestlers-protest-asian-games-sakshi-malik — Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik talk to media in Sonipat on June 10, 2023.

Sakshi Malik, who is among the faces of the wrestlers' protest with Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, was present at the Mahapanchayat to decide the future course of the wrestlers' protest. Her comments came at a time when Asian Games trials are all set to take place this month. The trials are to be handled by IOC's ad-hoc committee in the absence of suspended WFI.

All the wrestlers, including those involved in the protest, must compete in the trials and win their respective categories in order to compete in the Asian Games, slated in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 23. Wrestlers staying away from the mat at the 11th hour of the trials also indicate that they are in all certainty to miss the event.

Earlier on Wednesday Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and others held a meeting with Union sports minister Anurag Thakur at his residence and conveyed to the wrestlers that the government has sought time till June 15, the day on which the Delhi Police will file the chargesheet in the ongoing investigation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

"The government has asked for time till June 15 for the police investigation to complete. It has agreed on most of our proposals related to wrestling. We will keep these proposals in front of the farmers' unions, women's unions, our seniors and khap panchayats. So, we won't protest till June 15 but our movement against the WFI chief will continue," Sakshi had told IANS.