The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) took a significant step on August 7 by suspending 11 wrestlers in connection with submitting fake birth certificates. For some time, there had been continuous complaints regarding the age of players in Indian wrestling.
Sports News: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has taken a strict stance against irregularities related to age and residence proof, suspending 11 wrestlers. This action was taken on August 7, 2025, when 11 out of 110 birth certificates examined by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) were found to be fake. This step comes after long-standing complaints in Indian wrestling about age-fudging and the use of fraudulent documents.
What is the matter?
For the past several years, some wrestlers in Indian wrestling have been accused of reducing their date of birth to take advantage of age limits in competitions. In addition, some wrestlers have also been found to be making fake residence certificates to play from other states. To dispel these suspicions, the WFI contacted the MCD to verify the birth certificates of 110 wrestlers.
The investigation revealed that many players obtained Delhi birth certificates despite being born in other states like Haryana, so that they could participate in competitions held in Delhi.
What was found in the investigation
During the investigation, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi found that 11 out of 110 birth certificates were completely fake. They had been tampered with via Photoshop and contained information that did not match the actual records. The MCD clarified that these certificates were not issued by them. In some cases, it also came to light that the certificates were issued 12 to 15 years after birth, which is a serious violation of administrative rules.
Names of the suspended players
According to the news agency PTI, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has also revealed the names of the wrestlers with fake certificates. These include:
- Saksham
- Manuj
- Kavita
- Anshu
- Aarush Rana
- Shubham
- Gautam
- Jagroop Dhankhar
- Nakul
- Dushyant
- Siddharth Balyan
Reactions of WFI and MCD
WFI officials said that the use of fake documents is a direct attack on the ethics and fairness of the sport. The federation has indicated that these wrestlers may face long-term bans after the investigation is complete. The MCD stated in its report that 95 registrations, which were done late, were done under the rules and based on the order, but in these 11 cases, there was deliberate fraud.
