How the wrestlers’ protest puts the spotlight on rampant sexual abuse in sports in India

They should be practising for the Olympics scheduled for next year. But India’s ace wrestlers, led by Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, are fighting the battle of their lives against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven female wrestlers, including a minor.

Tuesday was another day of high drama for the protesting grapplers, who vowed they would ‘immerse’ their medals in the Ganga river. It was only after a talk with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait that they decided to defer their decision by five days.

Also read: The political life and controversies of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

The wrestlers have been protesting since January, demanding that the government take action against the WFI chief. Their protest has also seen them being dragged and pulled and being detained by the Delhi Police last Sunday when they attempted a silent march to new Parliament building.

The matter has gained the attention of the Supreme Court, which described the allegations as “serious” and ordered the police to register a case against Singh. And on Tuesday, the matter went international with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stepping in. An IOC spokesperson, responding to a query from The Indian Express said, “treatment meted out to the athletes over the weekend, when they were manhandled and detained for hours, was very disturbing.” “We urge that the safety and well-being of these athletes is duly considered throughout this process and that this investigation will be speedily concluded.”

The United World Wrestling (UWW) has also issued a statement condemning the detention of wrestlers during a march to the new Parliament building on Sunday. “UWW firmly condemns the treatment and detention of the wrestlers. It expresses its disappointment over the lack of results of the investigations so far. UWW urges the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the allegations,” the world wrestling body said in a statement.

The recent complaint, though shocking, isn’t new for women in sports in India. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has recorded 45 complaints of sexual harassment between 2010 and 2020. Of these, 29 were filed against coaches.

In fact, this is the fifth instance in the last nine months where cases of women athletes being sexually exploited have been publicly and formally recorded in India.

Here are other recent cases of sexual harassment involving women athletes and men in power, highlighting this cycle of abuse.

Allegations against Haryana sports minister

At the start of this year, India was left shell-shocked when the Chandigarh Police filed a sexual harassment case against Haryana sports minister and former Olympian Sandeep Singh, based on a complaint by a junior athletics coach.

The junior athletics coach alleged that Singh had touched her inappropriately. Speaking to the press, she added that she hadn’t spoken of the harassment earlier as she was afraid of the negative impact on the sports industry. “I tried as much as I could. He created such an atmosphere officially that a girl comes to him automatically,” she added.

Singh resigned from his post on “moral grounds,” though he dismissed the allegations as baseless. In early May, the Chandigarh court dismissed the application moved by the Chandigarh police seeking permission to conduct a polygraph test on Singh.

Women U-17 football team assistant coach sacked for sexual misconduct

Alex Ambrose, the assistant coach of India’s under-17 women’s football team, was suspended and sent back from a training camp in Norway for allegedly abusing a minor player in July 2022 and was later sacked.

According to reports, a player complained against the coach after her roommate, a player of the squad, was missing from her dorm and she raised the issue with head coach Thomas Dennerby.

Ambrose, who was also the All India Football Federation’s head of scouting, denied the charges and served the federation a legal notice. A case under the POSCO Act was filed. In February 2023, a Delhi court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.

Coach of cycling team accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’

Indian national team’s cycling coach RK Sharma was sacked from his position in June last year after he was accused of sexual harassment. A senior woman cyclist alleged that Sharma had allegedly forced himself into her room, offering her a “post-training” massage and stating that he “wants her to be his wife,” during the national team’s camp in Slovenia.

After the incident was reported, another cyclist also accused Sharma and his assistant of inappropriate behaviour.

Days later, his predatory behaviour was called out by Andaman’s Deborah Herold, the current national champion and international gold medallist. Herold alleged that the “toxic atmosphere” in the team under Sharma “did not allow cyclists to perform to their potential”.

She had told Indian Express then that she was singled out almost every day and was asked to stay away from other cyclists. “The assistant coach and the chief coach harassed us mentally. It affected me so much that I started losing weight because I couldn’t eat properly… I was pulled up if I spoke with any teammate, male or female. If I bumped into someone in the dining room, I would be shouted at. It reached a stage where, on some days, I started eating (alone) in my hostel room. I was singled out and harassed for no fault of mine,” she said.

Tamil Nadu coach sexually abused athletes

Renowned sports coach P Nagarajan fell from grace in May 2021 after a 19-year-old national-level runner filed a sexual harassment complaint against him in Chennai. She alleged that the coach would touch female athletes inappropriately, on the pretext of helping them with physiotherapy and stretching.

Two months after the first complaint, seven more athletes, including some who have represented India, came forward with similar allegations. Nagarajan was arrested and is facing charges under the IPC and POCSO Act.

Boxing coach accused of sexual assault

In March 2020, a boxing coach was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting his 19-year-old student when they were in West Bengal for a tournament in February. The teen, who was representing Haryana in the tournament,alleged that while she was going to Kolkata from the New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) along with her other team members to participate in the tournament, her coach sexually assaulted her in the train. She added that she was also sexually assaulted by her coach during their stay in Kolkata.

Gymnast, coach booked for sexual harassment

While attending a national camp for the 2014 Asian Games at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, a gymnast and his coach were booked for allegedly sexually harassing a woman gymnast. The female gymnast told the police that the duo passed vulgar remarks about her clothes and also made some indecent comments on her.

Tamil Nadu boxing official accused of seeking sexual favours

E Thulasi, bronze medallist at the 2009 Women’s Senior National Boxing Championship, in 2011 levied charges of sexual harassment against Tamil Nadu State Amateur Boxing Association Secretary AK Karunakaran.

She alleged that he had misbehaved with her, asking her ‘to cooperate’ if she wished to be selected for important events. Following an investigation by DCP (Kilpauk), Karunakaran was arrested.

Not restricted to India alone

While the above cases are India-centric, the problem of sexual abuse of sportswomen isn’t limited to the country alone. There have been countless cases of international women athletes accusing officials, coaches of sexual harassment.

Perhaps one of the most well-known and horrific case comes from the United States. In 2018, over 150 female gymnasts, including decorated US Olympians Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, and McKayla Maroney came forward and testified against Dr Larry Nassar, the former doctor for USA Gymnastics and sports medicine physician at Michigan State University. As Vox reports, Nassar’s victims said the doctor cannily won over their trust, making them feel special or privileged because of his position with USA Gymnastics. He operated in a sport where injuries can end careers, and young athletes deferred to his authority.

Gender discrimination and sexual abuse remains a reality in India and it can be seen at every level and sector of the country. If India wants to excel in sports, this horrible ailment that festers at the core of our sports world needs urgent attention.

With inputs from agencies

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