Wrestling Federation Cracks Down on Age Fraud at National Tournament
Strict Verification Process Disqualifies Hundreds of Wrestlers
Over 500 young wrestlers were prevented from participating in the Under-17 National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda due to a rigorous Aadhaar-based verification process conducted by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). This three-day event, which took place in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh from June 6 to 8, was intended to highlight the nation's budding wrestling talent but instead revealed significant issues related to age document discrepancies.
Initially, around 1,200 wrestlers had signed up for various categories, including men's freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's wrestling. However, the newly implemented verification protocol by the WFI drastically cut down the number of eligible participants.
In addition to providing birth certificates, wrestlers were mandated to present Aadhaar cards linked to their mobile numbers and complete OTP-based authentication via the Aadhaar app. This app tracks any modifications made to Aadhaar details, enabling officials to verify the information provided by the athletes.
The verification process resulted in the disqualification of nearly 500 wrestlers due to inconsistencies found between Aadhaar records and their birth certificates. Among those disqualified, approximately 300 were from men's freestyle, 125 from Greco-Roman, and around 50 from the women's category.
Officials noted that many cases involved discrepancies in birth dates and locations. Some birth certificates were issued years after the athletes' actual birth dates, prompting further investigation. One notable case involved a wrestler whose birth certificate stated he was born in 2007 in Narela, Delhi, while Aadhaar records indicated a birth year of 2004 in Haryana. This significant inconsistency led the WFI to contact the hospital that issued the birth certificate for clarification.
After the verification, only 350 wrestlers in men's freestyle, 185 women wrestlers, and 160 Greco-Roman wrestlers were approved to compete in the tournament. This initiative is part of the federation's ongoing efforts to combat age fraud, a persistent issue in Indian wrestling where older athletes can unfairly compete in junior categories.
Sanjay Singh, the WFI president, emphasized the federation's commitment to eradicating age fraud, stating, “We are determined to eradicate age fraud from wrestling. Genuine athletes suffer when overage competitors participate in age-group events. The Aadhaar verification process has helped us identify discrepancies, and we will continue to implement it strictly in all future U-15, U-17, and U-20 competitions.”
Additionally, the federation recently suspended five wrestlers after uncovering fake birth certificates during the document review, reinforcing its zero-tolerance policy towards age manipulation. WFI officials confirmed that this verification method will be applied at upcoming age-group events, including the women's trials for the U-17 World Championships in Sonepat on June 14 and the men's trials in Lucknow on June 15, indicating a more stringent approach to document verification in Indian wrestling.