Discipline is more than a mere word in the lexicon. When you represent India, the responsibility on the athlete increases manifold. That is, if you are not Vinesh Phogat, recalcitrant, stubborn, and ready to throw the rulebook, be it at the Wrestling Federation of India or the entire Indian sports administration.
A recent Delhi High Court ruling made it clear: Vinesh Phogat of the Paris 2024 Olympics – cannot keep asking for favours. Yes, Vinesh has a case this time: wrestlers who step into a maternity break and return need some concessions. That, however, does not mean Vinesh Phogat will hurdle over other wrestlers who are younger, fitter, and are competing regularly.
For those who view Vinesh Phogat as a star, a heroine, a path-breaker, facts need to be told. When Vinesh missed the prescribed weight limit by 100 grams ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic final, it was a devastating setback – but one for which the athlete and her support team ultimately had to accept responsibility. All her efforts failed, including sauna sessions beyond the prescribed time.
More important for Vinesh was returning to India, heading to Julana, Haryana, to contest the Assembly Elections. Not many would know this story: how a dehydrated Vinesh could have lost weight. Her hair would have grown again, and a medal would have been assured, at least a silver for India.
What followed after the Paris 2024 Olympics was Vinesh approaching CAS – the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Nothing came out of it, except that the wrestler had enough legal and financial muscle at her disposal. On her return, Vinesh was taken in a cavalcade from the Indira Gandhi Airport to her village. Nowhere in the world does an athlete who has been disqualified for being overweight get such royal treatment. Well, Vinesh has been special.
Deep down, Vinesh was a fighter on the mat. Yet, each day, as courts in India go deeper, her agenda is clear. She likes to play the victim card. And she has used it as well to her favour. From street protests at Jantar Mantar to allegations against former wrestling boss ,Vinesh has never shied away from taking extreme steps. If anything, after the protests raged in early 2024, Vinesh received favours from the WFI, including competing in two different weight categories at the Olympic trials. Imagine how many other young wrestlers felt cheated back then.
Most recently, in August, the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Timar, another office-bearer of the Wrestling Federation of India. Imagine, Vinesh was at the forefront of the malicious campaign against ‘Netaji’ for years. He suffered in silence, before emerging clean.
For his part, Brij Bhushan’s words were measured, but he did emphasise, if the court had found him guilty, he would have ‘committed suicide.’ The point is, Vinesh has got maximum from India, the federation, the Sports Authority of India, the Sports Ministry, and the as well. She has won medals for India at the Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. But if you look at her overall Olympic record, she is not a queen. In Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Vinesh was badly injured. In Tokyo, she failed after losing in the quarterfinal and going into repechage. For an athlete past her prime, Paris was a great chance. Once she blew it, unable to cut weight, she made the right decision to retire.
Perhaps, in reversing her retirement decision, Vinesh made the biggest mistake. Postpartum, returning to any sport is not easy. Vinesh tried hard, or so we were made to believe. Deep down, she wanted to exploit the system and find loopholes. More than sparring partners, she always had legal supporters. Not one of them comes free, but she has the Congress political party to back her.
Indian sport does not need athletes who are malicious and want to be seen as aggrieved. It is a record of sorts; Vinesh has tried to browbeat the system. If everything is so bad and wrong, how come the other wrestlers are mum? Vinesh, please play by the rules. Your time is up.