Paul Rouget, Media365: published on Wednesday May 18, 2022 at 4:20 p.m.
During the qualifications for the next Commonwealth Games, the Indian wrestler Satender Malik completely slipped after his defeat, inflicting a punch on the referee! He was suspended for life.
It was hot on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi, where the Indian qualifiers for the wrestling event were taking place for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, scheduled from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham. Hot, in every sense of the word. While northern India is currently hit by a severe heat wave, the outside temperature was 41°C in New Delhi, but the air conditioning was not working in what is India’s largest sports hall (near of 14,000 places). And tempers flared. Beaten in the final of the 125 kg category, Satender Malik completely unpinned after being ejected from the mat by his opponent seconds from the end of his fight.
After strongly contesting this decision, Malik violently attacked, after having previously insulted him, the chief referee of the competition, Jagbir Singh, punching him in the face. All under the eyes of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Indian Wrestling Federation. Who quickly decided, after an exceptional meeting, to banish the wrestler for life. “It happened right in front of us, and the behavior of the athlete was clearly unacceptable. We imposed a life ban on him, hoping that this will deter other athletes from crossing the red line. Such behavior will not be tolerated”, we could then read in a press release from the Indian Wrestling Federation. “I am deeply offended that he insulted me and hit me in front of everyone when I was only doing my duty,” lamented the assaulted referee, reports Indian Express. Note that another wrestler, Vishal Kalliraman, also slipped at 65 kilos after his elimination, leaving holes on the damp walls of the room, with his fists! The police were then called to inspect the damage.
