The male coach of India’s junior women’s wrestling team has been suspended after four of his athletes accused him of sexual harassment, reports said Sunday.
The allegations were made in a letter sent to India’s sports minister by the unidentified wrestlers, who said the coach misbehaved and tried to enter one of the women’s rooms during a training camp, the Times of India reported.
“It’s a very serious and sensitive matter. We are looking into the details of the complaint,” Desh Deepak Verma, director general of the Sports Authority of India, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The coach had been temporarily suspended while the inquiry continued, he added.
Women’s wrestling has been growing in stature in India after it was included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time when the country hosted the event in 2010. In April, Geeta Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler ever to qualify for the Olympics. The allegations come two years after the coach of the Indian women’s hockey team resigned after a player accused him of sexual misconduct.
M.K. Kaushik, a former Olympic gold-winning player with the men’s side, denied any wrongdoing and said the charges were a “big-time conspiracy” by players who had failed to find a place in the national team.