TOI Exclusive | Coming soon: A rebel wrestling league by the rebels

Wrestlers, who protested against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan, plan to launch a rebel professional league in November
NEW DELHI: Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and his wrestler wife Sangeeta Phogat, a 2018 Gold Coast CWG medallist – the two prominent faces of the landmark sit-in protest against former national federation (WFI) chief and sexual harassment accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, are all set to bring a rebel international wrestling league in November this year.

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The professional league, which will be known as ‘Orka Wrestling League’, are likely to feature other notable wrestlers, who were part of the agitating group against Brij Bhushan, including two-time world championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, Rio Olympics bronze winner Sakshi Malik and 2016 Commonwealth champion Satyawart Kadian, among others.

Speaking to TOI from Sonepat, Bajrang, who will helm the league as the Chief Wrestling Officer (CWO), informed the eight franchise-based global teams will compete in the inaugural edition in a nearly month-long tournament, tentatively planned to begin around Nov 20.

“Yes, it’s true, we (Bajrang and Sangeeta) are coming up with our own international league. It will begin in Nov this year. The registration of wrestlers will open in Aug, and we will have an IPL-style auction event either in Sept end or Oct beginning. All our brothers and sisters from the wrestling community are welcome to play in the league. It will be a big event. There will be huge sponsorship money involved, and the winning team and wrestlers will be handsomely rewarded. It will be a mixed-gender wrestling competition. The inaugural edition is likely to happen in India at one of the major cities. The modalities are being worked out. We will make an announcement soon,” Bajrang, a four-time World Championships medallist, said.

“We are not afraid of what the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) thinks about our league. The federation is running its own league, Pro Wrestling League (PWL). They have recognition from the national federation and sport’s global body, UWW. But our league is a global event with a strong India presence. If the WFI wants to look at our league from the point of rivalry or see it as a direct challenge to the PWL...then let it be. They can’t stop us from running our league. Several India wrestlers are in touch, and they have expressed desire to compete. Our doors are open to everyone. Our league provides recognition at professional level and financial security. Let Brij Bhushan or Sanjay Singh (WFI’s current president) think whatever they want to,” he added.

A top WFI office-bearer told TOI that the federation is aware of the development and soon a diktat will follow for the country’s wrestlers, who are enrolled with the WFI and are part of the national set-up, to avoid dealing with an “unsanctioned and illegal” league. “We will take appropriate action when the time comes. Let Bajrang or Sangeeta come up with this league. This is an unsanctioned and illegal league. PWL is the WFI backed-official league. We will warn our coaches, technical officials and referees from tying up with that league,” the office-bearer said.

According to Bajrang, the total money a franchise can spend on buying a team will be around Rs four crore. “Each franchise will have a total of 12 wrestlers, six men and six women, and all of them will compete in Olympic weight categories. To start with, the league will begin with men’s and women’s freestyle competitions, and greco-roman events will be added later. For men, the competition will happen in 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg. The women participants will compete in 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg. There will be a total of eight international teams. The USA-based Orka Sports are the major stakeholders. We (Bajrang and Sangeeta) collaborated with them. Sangeeta has joined as a Director, Women's Wrestling and Athlete Welfare,” he said.

Each wrestler will be drawn in an auction pool. The wrestlers will be graded in four categories – Grade A being the highest, and then Grade B, C and D. Grade A will have the highest base price of $35,000, followed by $25,000 (Grade B), $15,000 (Grade C) and $6,000 (Grade D).

Bajrang said he himself won’t play in the league, since he is the league’s CWO and part of the organising committee. Bajrang is also facing a four-year ban from the National Anti-Doping Agency (Nada) for refusing to provide his urine sample during the selection trials for the national team held in Sonepat on March 10, 2024. He was banned for four years by Nada’s disciplinary panel (ADDP) on Nov 26, 2024 and his suspension period ended in Nov 2028. He has challenged the ADDP’s decision before the Nada’s Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP), and the matter is currently being heard.

Teams:

• Atlas Titans (USA)
• Indra Warriors (India)
• Neo-Tokyo Dragons (Japan)
• TrueNorth Titans (Canada)
• Libre Vanguard (Cuba)
• Britannia Brawlers (United Kingdom)
• Rio Rumble (Brazil)
• Arabian Titans (Middle East)

The 'OWL' Lowdown:

• Eight Franchises
• Rs 4 crore purse each franchise’

Contracts:

• Grade A - $35,000
• Grade B - $25,000
• Grade C - $15,000
• Grade D - $6,000

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