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Wrestler Sakshi Malik was devastated and broke down in tears after Sanjay Singh, the aide of Brij Bhushan Singh, was appointed as the new chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday, December 21.
Sakshi, who won the bronze medal in the Rio Olympics back in 2016, showed her dejection after Singh beat Anita Sheoran, a gold medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to become the new WFI chief.
Singh, who earlier worked as the vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Federation, emerged victorious after fetching 40 votes while Sheoran bagged seven in the elections that took place in New Delhi.
In a media interaction at the Press Club of India, Sakshi said that the Sports Ministry failed to live up to its promise made to the wrestlers after all the controversy surrounding allegations of sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan.
"I quit wrestling" - Sakshi Malik
Following the verdict, Sakshi announced that she was quitting wrestling and thanked the public for their constant support when the protests were going on in full force at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
“We slept for 40 days on the roads and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us. If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of the WFI, I quit wrestling,” Sakshi said at the press conference.
On being asked about Sakshi’s reaction to the new appointment, Brij Bhushan was quoted as saying by India Today:
“I have nothing to do with this.”
Sakshi said that the wrestlers had demanded for a female president to take charge. Had Sheoran taken over, she would have been the first woman to ever be named as the chief of the WFI.
After all the protests against Brij Bhushan, the wrestlers called them off in June. Along with Sakshi, the likes of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were also involved in the protests.
