Sakshi Malik Announces Retirement From Wrestling After Sanjay Singh Becomes WFI President

Sakshi Malik announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday and stated that she won’t compete under the presidency of Brij Bhushan loyalist.

She took the massive decision after Sanjay Singh’s victory in the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) presidential elections.

Sakshi removed her shoes and put them on the dais before leaving the press conference in tears.

“I am dejected and I will not be competing in wrestling anymore,” an emotional Sakshi said.

Sanjay is a close aide of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was deposed following a lengthy agitation by a group of grapplers led by Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi and Vinesh Phogat.

Sakhi thanked the people who came in their support during the protest but decided to quit wrestling.

“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 WFI, I quit wrestling…” she added.

“We wanted a female president but that did not happen,” the 31-year-old, who is also a CWG gold medallist, added.

Meanwhile, Sanjay defeated former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran WFI elections which were held on Thursday, December 21.

He became the new WFI president with his panel winning 13 of the 15 posts in the elections here on Thursday.

Ahead of the elections, Oylmpic medal-winning grapplers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi had repeatedly requested Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to stop anyone associated with Brij Bhushan from contesting the WFI polls.

Consequently, neither Brij Bhushan’s son Prateek nor son-in-law Vishal Singh entered the fray.

Bajrang and Vinesh Phogat, who addressed media after elections, did not say whether they will retire from the sport.

“It’s unfortunate that government did not stand by its word that no Brij Bhushan loyalist will contest WFI election,” Bajrang said.

“Upcoming women wrestlers will also face exploitation,” Vinesh added.