Former wrestler Narsingh Yadav elected chairman of WFI’s seven-member athletes’ panel

Former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Narsingh Pancham Yadav was elected chairman of the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) Athletes’ Commission here on Wednesday, completing a process that was mandated by the sport’s world governing body.

A total of eight candidates were in the fray for the seven positions. The polls were conducted on ballot paper.

Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the Games-bound Narsingh had grabbed headlines when two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, who missed the qualification event due to an injury, requested for a trial bout against him.

Sushil moved the Delhi High Court and only after his appeal was rejected, it was confirmed that Narsingh would go to Rio Olympics.

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However, in a shocking turn of events, Narshingh failed two dope tests prior to the Games and was banned for four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) even though the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) had cleared him on the plea that his failed test was the result of sabotage.

The CAS decision came a day before his opening bout, forcing him to leave Rio de Janeiro without competing. The ban came to an end in July 2020 and he has maintained that the entire episode was a case of sabotage.

The other elected members of the athletes commission were Sahil (Delhi), Smitha AS (Kerala), Bharti Bhaghei (UP), Khushboo S Pawar (Gujarat), Nikki (Haryana), and Sweta Dubey (Bengal).

Narsingh, an Arjuna awardee and Asian Championships gold medallist in 2010, competed at the 2012 London Olympic Games and lost the opening bout in the 74kg category.