Sakshi spearheaded demonstrations against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh earlier this year, a case that made headlines around the world and raised concerns about the safety of female athletes in India.
The 31-year-old Malik declared she was quitting the sport as soon as Sanjay Singh was chosen to be the new WFI president.
In June, Brij Bhushan Singh, a federal legislator, was accused of harassing six female wrestlers. He has denied all of the accusations made against him. The trial court is currently considering his case.
Malik spoke about the protests earlier this year at a news conference in New Delhi. "We slept for 40 days on the roads and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us," Malik announced. When reporters questioned Brij Bhushan Singh on Thursday on Malik's decision to step down, he responded, "I have nothing to do with it."
Sakshi declared in a press conference in New Delhi prior to the WFI presidency that "I quit wrestling if Brij Bhushan Singh's business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI."
Singh actively pushed for Sanjay Singh to succeed him in recent months and told the local media that he would win. Sanjay Singh's relationship with Brij Bhushan Singh was not accessible for comment.
Sanjay Singh vowed to help wrestlers who had experienced a setback in recent months, according to local media. Regarding Malik's choice, he remained silent.
After the government pledged to look into the complaints and the sports ministry removed Brij Bhushan Singh's administrative powers, Malik and other wrestlers put off their initial protest in January.
However, the athletes returned to their protest in April following the government's failure to provide the conclusions of a panel that looked into the claims.
The regulatory body of the sport, United World Wrestling (UWW), which had suspended the WFI following the controversy, was not immediately reachable for comment on Thursday.
Indian wrestlers were forced to participate in international competitions as neutral competitors because the WFI missed the August deadline for selecting a new president.
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