New Delhi, In a major crackdown on age fraud, more than 500 wrestlers were disqualified from the U-17 National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda after the Wrestling Federation of India introduced a stringent Aadhaar-based verification system.
The system exposed widespread discrepancies in age and birth records, with nearly 500 wrestlers disqualified across men's freestyle, Greco Roman, and women's categories.
The verification process involved producing Aadhaar cards linked to mobile numbers, OTP authentication through the Aadhaar app, and cross-checking details with birth certificates.
In several cases, discrepancies emerged between Aadhaar records and birth certificates, prompting the WFI to seek clarification and implement stricter verification mechanisms.
WFI president Sanjay Singh said the federation is committed to ensuring a level playing field and will continue to implement the enhanced verification mechanism in age-group competitions.
The federation recently suspended five wrestlers after detecting fake birth certificates, underlining its resolve to tackle manipulation of age records.
