JOIN USSushil gets show cause notice
Sushil and the WFI have been at loggerheads for sometime now and the sport’s controlling body was enraged after he was disqualified at the Asian Championships at Pattaya, Thailand, earlier in the week for being overweight.
Sushil could be in serious trouble as the WFI said what happened at Pattaya is a “serious matter and needs to be dealt with appropriately.”
The WFI has asked his coaches Georgian Vladimir and Yashvir Singh also to explain what went wrong with Sushil. The wrestler, who was competing in his first international event since the Olympics, was found overweight by 400 gm in the 66Kg category.
Sushil, who has been unhappy with the WFI over his training and competition schedule after the Olympics, was let off with a warning in February for pulling out of a tournament in the US at the last minute.
WFI president GS Mander said Sushil has not been living up to his reputation as an iconic sportsperson. “Last time we let him off with a warning. But what happened now is a very serious matter. It can’t be overlooked. A wrestler can’t be found overweight at a major competition. He was representing the country and worldwide it is taken very seriously. We have to deal with it sternly.” said Mander.
“You cannot just walk away, saying that it is a one-off thing. The federation is paying for the training and we have every reason to know what went wrong. His weight was all right during the nationals. Then where was the problem. Sushil and coaches have been asked to respond to the notices by Friday.”
Sushil said a show-cause noitce for a one-off incident like this puts the player under pressure. “I practised hard and the federation is aware how much effort I put in for the tournament. It’s not that I was guilty of any negligence. After all, it was an important event. It so happened that I could not shed those 400 gm. Show-cause for such a thing is a bit too much. It puts a wrestler under mental stress and strain.”