Did the WFI contribute to deprive Phogat of Olympic Gold? | Faraz Ahmad

Neeraj Chopra’s Silver medal in the Javelin throw in Paris Olympics raised our spirits a little and India winning a medal, even a Bronze consoled us somewhat. But the heartbreak of Vinesh Phogat our best bet for a Gold has failed to lift our spirits enough to actually stand up and say Hurrah!

Phogat reached the final of the women’s 50 kg. category defeating defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, former European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine and reigning Pan American Games champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba.

Reading the statement of India’s number one claimant for a 2024 Olympic Gold in Paris, announcing her retirement hours after being disqualified from competing for the final bout brought tears to our eyes. She wrote in an emotional post on X: “Mom, wrestling has defeated me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream, my courage is all broken, I don’t have any more strength now.†“Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024,â€

No doubt this is not the first time the career of a bright sports star ended abruptly like this in Olympic competitions. This is neither the first international sports event where the space is very limited for the elimination of many bright stars failing to qualify after almost reaching close to the pinnacle nor the last. Moreover, like Phogat, many sports stars including for instance our recent Hockey heroes, are not from any privileged background
Surely Vinesh Phogat had won several laurels in international women’s wrestling competitions starting from Rio Olympics of 2016 where she missed a medal only because of her last-minute injury. But that apart, our heart goes out to her because by now it is pretty evident how the Indian state conspired and sabotaged her prospects to beat all odds and win a gold in Paris Olympics.

It all started in January 2023 with at least seven prize-winning women wrestlers including a minor girl, complained together to the Government of sexual harassment by the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh a six-time BJP MP from Eastern UP, with known criminal background who had admitted on camera having committed a murder. The fact that a man with this kind of criminal background was heading a sports body in which women wrestlers were participating in good numbers, simply proves hollow Modi’s slogan ‘Beti padhao, beti bachao’ The BJP has always had more faith in its slogan-mongering than action and very often people do get taken in. However, nothing annoys and angers Modi more than when his government’s insincerity towards his public announcements stands exposed. These world class wrestlers had the gumption to do precisely this. But not before they had knocked on every possible door, seeking redressal of their grievance. In short seeking safety and security from the pawing acts and direct demands for sexual favours. All their pleas fell on deaf ears. The wrestlers had to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in two phases, first in the biting cold of January, 2023, which they withdrew after some assurance from the Government and when no action, not even an FIR was registered against Singh, they resumed their dharna from April to June 2023 now bearing not just blistering heat but even pouring rain.

Ironically the new Parliament building was inaugurated with much pomp and show by Prime Minister Modi on 28 May 2023 with Singh strutting there as a prominent BJP MP, while the Delhi Police hit and dragged away these girls and their male colleagues and friends, bundled them into police vehicles and removed them from public eye to prevent any embarrassment to our dear Prime Minister.

In the process of this agitation these world-class sports persons, missed several months of professional practice while the Paris Olympics were impending and demanded they focus entirely on their game. Vinesh too lost all these months but did not lose her determination.

Meanwhile after much adverse publicity the then Sports Minister Anurag Thakur of ‘Goli maro’ fame who soared ever higher after every abuse and insult he heaped on any critics of Modi, did some cosmetic work. The Government removed Singh from WFI presidentship but put in place his trusted lieutenant Sanjay Singh, ignoring the women wrestlers’ protests. Eventually that committee was also said to have been suspended. But strangely in spite of supposed suspension by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Sanjay Singh was there in Paris as the WFI president supervising the wrestlers’ activities and so was the IOA president P.T. Usha who seemed to have turned a blind eye to this.

Sanjay Singh’s presence there proved how the IOA and Modi government thumbed their nose at Vinesh and her fellow protesters. Surely, they wily nily allowed Vinesh to participate in the games at Paris Olympics much against their wishes.

In the process, they played a small trick on Vinesh Phogat. Going by her weight she had been fielded in the past in the 53 kilogram category. But that category was denied to her putting a complete novice and untested young girl Antim Panghal in the 53-kilogram category and telling Phogat that slot is already full. If she wanted to compete in Paris Olympics she had to do it in 50 kilogram category only. She was left with no choice.

Phogat did reduce her weight considerably to defeat defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, former European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine and reigning Pan American Games champion Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba after weighing in each time before and after the victorious event. Naturally, then she was underweight each time. But at the last weighing in the next day she proved to be 100 grams, just 100 grams overweight and disqualified from the game altogether.

Significantly Modi who is always the first one to react to any victory by Indian sports persons, and rightly so to encourage them and boost their morale, sent not a single commendation message when Vinesh continued on her winning spree in Paris. But the moment she was disqualified he was the first one to commiserate with her. Was it genuine sympathy or laughing under the sleeve? Forgiveness and generosity is not in the nature of Modi and had Phogat won laurels, perhaps even Gold, who would have felt more embarrassed and slighted Modi or Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?

There is some speculation that perhaps Phogat was deliberately fed a high salt diet on Tuesday after her win over the Japanese reigning champion Yui Susaki to prevent her shed extra water content in her body, but that apart.

One thing is amply clear. That had she been fielded in the 53-kilogram category she would not have been disqualified and humiliated like this. Ironically the WFI choice for the 53-kilo category Antim Panghal only brought more taint to India. She lost the very first game to the Turkish competitor by 0-10, showing she was not fit enough to send up to Paris. Worse she disgraced India by being debarred from the game first and then deported with her entire train of attendants from Paris for trying to steal in surreptitiously her sister into the games village.

But take it from me Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will continue to rule the roost, even through his proxy. Already his son Karan Bhushan Sharan Singh who replaced him as Kaiserganj MP this time, announced that the WFI will see what can be done for Vinesh. Shows Brij Bhushan’s stranglehold on the WFI hasn’t relaxed.