The Sports and Rights Alliance criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a report released on Tuesday for its failure to take any adequate steps towards addressing or investigating the allegations of sexual harassment and violence within the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
The report, titled “We Were Only Demanding Justice: Sexual Abuse in Indian Wrestling Federation”, provides an overview of the scandal over the past year and provides insights into the allegations made against the former chief of the WFI, Brij Bhushan Singh.
Singh, who also served as a member of parliament for the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), faced a criminal trial this year for sexually harassing five female wrestlers during his presidency. Multiple allegations of sexual abuse from women and girls arose against him over the last year, leading to widespread protests led by India’s top Olympic wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik. The wrestlers’ protest demanded justice and accountability for the victims of abuse.
The wrestlers faced harassment, threats and even detention for their demands. The report highlights that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and other national sports bodies failed to provide adequate support and even criticized the athletes for their approach. The situation reached a boiling point in May 2023, when Delhi police arrested and detained several protesting wrestlers.
A committee was formed by India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to investigate the claims against Singh, but its approach was described by the athletes as sceptical and victim-blaming. Furthermore, despite there being multiple victim testimonies, the committee did not recommend any specific action against Singh. In June 2023, the Sport and Rights Alliance urged the IOC to conduct an independent inquiry, but as of the report’s release, no such action has been taken.
This scandal is not an isolated incident within the sports community. The USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal considered the largest in sports history, involved the sexual abuse of hundreds of gymnasts, primarily minors, over two decades. Larry Nassar, the former US women’s gymnastics team physician, was convicted of sexually abusing more than 140 women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. The United States Olympic Committee was accused of enabling this abuse. There have also been other incidents like the federal lawsuit involving former gold medal athlete Steven Lopez and Olympic coach Jean Lopez, which alleged that the US Olympic Committee and USA Taekwondo engaged in sex trafficking and negligence by sending athletes to competitions with known predators.
The Sport and Rights Alliance outlined several recommendations for the IOC, including a comprehensive, trauma-informed investigation into Singh’s tenure and other claims of abuse within the WFI. As India bids to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, the report emphasizes the need for the Indian government and the IOC to address such abuses and implement significant improvement measures.
