WFI to make birth certificates for wrestlers mandatory before Nationals

"The Wrestling Federation of India has decided to take a few important steps. It has made it mandatory for wrestlers to produce a birth certificate to compete in Nationals," the federation said in a statement.

WFI recently ejected 150 wrestlers from the U-15 open ranking tournament in Patna, out of a total of 1000 competitors. Furthermore, those found to be over-aged were disqualified from the U-17 (cadet) national championship, which finished in Ranchi.

It has been revealed that wrestlers "use the Delhi method" to obtain a birth certificate of a younger age because online applications are allowed in the national capital. It has also been discovered that most Haryana wrestlers are prone to tampering with their documents.

On asked to remain anonymous, a wrestler admits to obtaining a birth certificate from Delhi online in order to reduce his age by two years. WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has addressed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to bring their attention to the issue of age fraud in the national capital.