– He took me to a room alone. He told me to talk to my parents in his room, via his phone. This is how Sakshi Malik describes the start of what became a many-year nightmare. The year is 2012 and she is taken into the room of the President of the Indian Wrestling Federation. In 2016, she won India’s very first Olympic gold in wrestling. But in the years that followed, she fought a far more important and difficult battle: the battle against sexual harassment in the union she represented. A struggle which would eventually ensure that she and several others were arrested. Among them was Vinesh Phogat, who is participating in the Olympics in Paris. – We are meritorious athletes, Olympic athletes, who have fought so hard to be heard. Imagine how difficult it is for young girls in the sport to speak up. Their careers can be ruined, says Phogat. – He wanted to have sexual intercourse It all started in 2012, but it only became known to the public in January 2023. Then several Indian wrestlers, including Phogat and Malik, protested against the head of the Indian Wrestling Federation, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They demanded that Singh resign from his position as president of the union. EX-PRESIDENT: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on his way out of a police hearing following allegations of sexual harassment. Photo: AP The accusations went on for years of sexual harassment. In a report from the Sports and Rights Alliance, an organization that works against human rights violations in the sports world, it is stated, among other things, that he allegedly molested young athletes, offered to help them in return for sexual favors and tried to exploit his position. – He wanted to have sex with me. It went on for several months, but for me it went on for many years because he came to all tournaments for several years, says Malik to news. Earlier this year, Malik was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023 by Time Magazine. Singh, who was also a member of the Indian Parliament, has consistently denied all the allegations. – I want to talk to these athletes. I am ready to cooperate with any investigation. Sexual harassment never happened, Singh said according to The Quint in January 2023. In an interview with the BBC in May of the same year, he said he would not resign. – I have not behaved badly or harassed anyone. I have treated them like the children of my own family. I gave them love and respect. “Unfortunately, it has now become a problem for me,” Singh said. The Indian Wrestling Federation also denies the allegations. In a reply to news, they write that this is a conspiracy for the wrestlers to secure power in the union. Read more about their response at the bottom of the case. Arrested When the protests began in January 2023, Indian authorities said they would set up a committee to investigate the allegations. The wrestlers settled for that and stopped the protest. AWARD: Vinesh Phogat has received the highest award an athlete in India can receive. She took that prize into the streets when she protested. Photo: Dinesh Joshi / AP Then, in April of the same year, they started protesting again. They believed there was no development in the case. At the end of May, several of the protesters, including the two Olympic athletes Phogat and Malik, were arrested by Indian police when they marched towards an inauguration ceremony by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They were arrested for, among other things, disorderly conduct. They were charged but released the same day. POLICE: Sakshi Malik was arrested by the police in May 2023. Half a year later, she gave up as a wrestler. Photo: Altaf Qadri / AP A few days later, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came to the scene and condemned the arrest. – The treatment of the Indian wrestlers at the weekend is very disturbing. The IOC insists that the allegations made by the wrestlers be followed up by an impartial criminal investigation, an IOC spokesman wrote to several Indian media. Criticizes IOC Since then, Singh has been stripped of his parliamentary seat and has resigned as president of the Indian Wrestling Federation. The son has taken over the seat in parliament, while the man who has taken over in the union is a business partner with Singh, according to the Sports and Rights Alliance. The report they have written points out that the IOC has failed the athletes. – The reporting system of the IOC has not accommodated best possible practice for appeal mechanisms. In some cases, they have even sent the athletes back to the national federations. It can lead to further abuse, says Payoshni Mitra, who has been responsible for the report. PROTEST: Sakshi Malik sits by the river Ganges with other wrestlers and supporters. Among other things, they threatened to throw Malik’s Olympic gold into the river in protest. Photo: AP – I am completely sidelined from the sport I love, says Malik, who quit in December, just months before the Olympics. In a long reply to news, the IOC says that they both support the International Wrestling Federation, the Indian Olympic Committee and local police in their work on the matter. They further say that they have recently set up a committee to look at how to ensure better notification mechanisms in the future. – We stand with all athletes. Harassment and mistreatment in any way goes against the Olympic values, the IOC writes, among other things. – The treatment of the Indian wrestlers was very disturbing. We emphasize that the safety and welfare of these athletes are assessed continuously throughout this process and hope that the investigation will proceed quickly. Through the international wrestling federation, we have said that a fair investigation is needed and at the same time good protection for those concerned, the IOC writes to news. – Part of a conspiracy The Indian Wrestling Federation accuses the athletes of lying. Today’s president of the union, Sanjay Kumar Singh, tells news that the accusations are part of a power struggle for the wrestlers to secure control over the union. He is responding on behalf of the union and their former president. – These serious allegations against the former president appear to be part of a conspiracy involving corporate executives who have used the byters as pawns in a game. These people did not want the president to appoint an heir from their own group or family, says today’s president to news. He has also sent a long overview with a timeline of what has happened in the case. The association points out that many of those who have made allegations are from the same family or close allies. They also point out that Malik, among other things, invited the former president to his wedding in 2022. INJURED: Vinesh Phogat was injured and had to be carried out on a stretcher during the Olympics in Rio in 2016. In Tokyo, she was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Photo: NTB Furthermore, the union points out that the first committee to look into the matter found no evidence for the allegations. Nor did the police find such evidence, he says. – When the police investigation also produced no evidence, these female wrestlers pressured the government to file charges against Mr. Singh in court, using the gender aspect of the case to their advantage. At this point, rival factions supported the wrestlers, prompting the government to file a charge sheet against Mr. Singh, says current president Sanjay Kimar Singh. In the Olympics, there are five Indian women who participate in wrestling. Among them is Phogat, who is one of the medal candidates. But outside the Olympic competition, she is still fighting a battle that is far more important. – Female wrestlers have been sexually harassed at national team meetings by coaches and the president of the association. I know of at least 10–20 athletes who have come to me and told stories, she says. On Tuesday, she will take to the wrestling mat in Paris in the -50-kilogram class in freestyle wrestling. Published 06.08.2024, at 16.25
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Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik accused the President of harassment – ended in arrest – Paris 2024 Olympics
