New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Wrestling Federation of India president Sanjay Singh firmly addressed concerns raised by Vinesh Phogat over safety and fairness, assuring that the federation is taking full responsibility while ruling out any last-minute changes to the tournament venue.

“If Vinesh is worried about her safety, let me assure her that I am taking personal guarantee of that. Also, we have UWW-approved referees who officiate and all trial bouts are recorded, so there is no chance of any bias,” Singh told in a statement.

“Do you think it is fair to change the venue and disturb the whole schedule when about 1500 wrestlers have entered the tournament and made their travel and stay arrangements and have not raised any objections regarding the venue and their safety. Why WFI should do it and put participating wrestlers to inconvenience.”

Earlier, Vinesh Phogat revealed for the first time that she is one of the six women wrestlers who filed a formal complaint of sexual harassment against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Breaking her silence while the matter remains sub-judice, Phogat also issued a stern warning to the Central Government and the Sports Ministry regarding the upcoming National Open Ranking Tournament scheduled to be held in Gonda, which the stronghold of Brij Bhushan.

In a video she shared on social media, Vinesh stated that while Supreme Court guidelines protect the identity of victims to preserve their dignity, she felt compelled to speak out due to the current circumstances.

“Three years ago, we raised our voices against sexual harassment. Six women wrestlers have already testified before the court. I did not want to speak while the case is still pending, but I want to tell you all today: I myself am one of those six victims who filed a complaint, and our testimonies are still ongoing,” she said in video.

The Commonwealth and Asian Games medallist raised serious concerns over the integrity of the WFI’s National Open Ranking Tournament, scheduled to be hel;d from May 12 to 14 in Gonda.

Vinesh alleged that the venue choice compromises the fairness of the competition. “Every hardworking athlete will get their due there—this is something very unlikely and almost impossible. Who will referee whose match, how many points a referee will give… all of this will be controlled by Brij Bhushan and his people,” she alleged.

She further expressed doubts over the transparency of official procedures, including the crucial weigh-in process. “I don’t think the weights of all the hardworking wrestlers will be checked fairly, or that the results on the mat will truly reflect their hard work.

–IANS

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