500+ Wrestlers Barred at U-17 Tournament (Img Internet)
New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has disqualified more than 500 wrestlers from the Under-17 National Open Ranking Tournament held in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, after detecting widespread age-related discrepancies through Aadhaar-based verification.
The tournament, conducted between June 6 and June 8, saw participation from around 1,200 wrestlers across freestyle and Greco-Roman categories for both men and women.
For the first time, WFI implemented a stricter verification system requiring athletes to submit their birth certificates along with Aadhaar details, which were verified through OTP authentication.
Officials said the system was introduced to ensure transparency and prevent manipulation of age records in youth competitions. During scrutiny, inconsistencies were found in several documents, including mismatched dates and places of birth.
Following verification, around 500 wrestlers were declared ineligible. This included approximately 300 freestyle wrestlers, 125 Greco-Roman wrestlers, and 50 female athletes who could not clear the document checks.
WFI sources also noted that some birth certificates were issued years after the actual date of birth, raising further doubts over authenticity.
After the screening process, only selected participants were cleared, including 350 male freestyle wrestlers, 185 female wrestlers, and 160 Greco-Roman competitors.
WFI President Sanjay Singh stated that age fraud has been a persistent issue affecting fair competition and the progress of genuine athletes. He said the federation plans to extend Aadhaar-based verification to all age-group tournaments, including Under-15, Under-17, and Under-20 events.
The aim, according to the federation, is to ensure a level playing field and protect the interests of deserving young wrestlers.
This action follows earlier disciplinary steps taken by WFI, including the suspension of five wrestlers for four years over proven age discrepancies.
Officials indicated that similar strict verification measures will now become a standard procedure across all national-level youth wrestling competitions in India.
