Days after stepping into the political ring ahead of the upcoming Haryana polls, wrestler Vinesh Phogat has alleged that her photograph on a hospital bed during the Paris Olympics with Indian Olympic Association chief (IOA) chief PT Usha was taken only to politicise the matter as she felt she didn’t get any real support from the association following her heartbreaking exit after being found overweight by 100 grams.
Vinesh, who recently joined the principal opposition party — Indian National Congress — a few days back, became the first female wrestler from the country to reach an Olympic final but had to return empty-handed after failing to shed her weight despite undertaking desperate measures on the morning of the women’s 50kg gold-medal bout.
After winning three bouts on the previous day, Vinesh, who had gained almost two kilograms, spent the entire night engaging in various activities, such as jogging, skipping and cycling. Despite spending a sleepless night, and the relentless efforts, Vinesh failed to get rid of the extra weight, and was found to be 100 grams over the required limit. According to the United World Wrestling – the parent body of wrestling – rules, she was disqualified and all her results in the previous bouts became null and void.
The extreme measures taken to try and reduce her weight exhausted Vinesh. She had to be taken to the medical facility inside the Games village, where IOA chief PT Usha met her and assured all support. A photograph of their meeting was shared on social media, and it went viral.
The grappler, however, said she got no real support from IOA and that the photo was taken without her consent.
“You are on a hospital bed, where you don’t know what’s happening in life outside, you are going through one of the worst phases of your life. At that place, just to show everyone you are standing with me you clicked a photo without telling me and then putting it on social media to say you are standing with me). That’s not how you show support. What was it more than (posturing)!” Vinesh told a local news channel.
Vinesh said she was left heartbroken by the incident. “I don’t know what support I got there. PT Usha madam visited me at the hospital. One photo was clicked… Like you said, in politics a lot happens behind closed doors. Similarly, politics happened there (in Paris) as well. That’s why I was heartbroken. Otherwise a lot of people are saying ‘don’t leave wrestling’. For what should I continue! There is politics everywhere,” she further said.
A day after Vinesh had appealed against her disqualification from the final bout in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal. She later shocked everyone by announcing her retirement from the sport.
A few days later, Vinesh received another setback when the CAS rejected her appeal, and days after returning to India to a hero’s welcome, she launched her career in politics.