11 Junior Wrestlers Suspended for Fake Birth Certificates
By Abhishek Kumar
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has taken strong action against age fraud in the sport by suspending 11 junior wrestlers for submitting fake birth certificates. These athletes were trying to prove that they were younger than their actual age to compete in junior-level competitions.
The investigation began after the WFI requested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to verify the birth certificates of 110 wrestlers. The MCD found that 95 certificates were valid, although many were issued later with proper orders. However, 11 certificates were found to be fake, either digitally edited, made from scratch, or issued without proper process.
According to the report, the suspended wrestlers are Saksham, Manuj, Kavita, Anshu, Arush Rana, Shubham, Gautam, Jagrup Dhankar, Nakul, Dushyant, and Siddharth Baliyan. These athletes belonged mostly to the Narela zone, with others from Najafgarh, Rohini, Civil Lines, and City zone in Delhi.
The WFI issued suspension notices to six of these wrestlers on August 7, while the remaining five had already been suspended earlier for similar issues. Officials from the WFI stated that this is part of a larger effort to clean up the sport and ensure fair play for all athletes.
A senior official said, “We want a clean system where genuine players are not cheated. No one should get an unfair advantage by faking their age.”
The issue of age fraud and false state representation has long affected Indian wrestling. Some wrestlers reportedly use fake documents to show they are from Delhi, even though they are from other states like Haryana, in order to get selected more easily.
In a related development, a wrestler’s father, Neeraj Kumar, has filed a complaint with the Sports Ministry, accusing another wrestler of using fake documents to compete under Delhi’s name. This matter is also under review.
The WFI has promised to take more such steps to protect honest athletes and maintain the integrity of Indian wrestling.