Vinesh Phogat at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Having thrown her proverbial hat into the ring, Olympian Vinesh Phogat is now facing the beast that is Indian politics, with the wrestler contesting the Haryana Assembly elections from Julana.
Speaking to Indian Express, the 30-year-old wrestler opened up about her recent trials at the 2024 Olympics, recalling Indian Olympics Association (IOA) chief P T Usha's visit when she was recovering in Paris after an extreme weight cut.
Terming the visit a 'photo op', Phogat said, "I was told that P T Usha was coming … I wasn’t even fully conscious. I was dizzy after becoming unconscious. I was made to sit up."
"It was to post a photo and then tell the media that Vinesh is ‘okay’. In reality, I was not. All this was done to show the media and escape responsibility. All that she told me was ‘Hum tumhare saath mein hai. Theek hai?’ (We are with you, ok?)," the Olympian was quoted as saying by the publication.
For those unaware, Usha reportedly paid Phogat a visit after Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Parliament that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the IOA chief to be with Vinesh, who, at the time, had moved the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a silver medal following her disqualification at the Paris Games.
In her talks with IE, Phogat went on to express her disappointment over what she described as PM Modi's 'silence' over sexual harassment allegations against ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
"If he feels genuinely about sports and has genuine love for sports people, I don’t think he could have stopped himself from reaching out after such a major thing happened [protests]… To say nothing even when he knows everything … that is not genuine love for sportspersons," Phogat was quoted as saying by the publication.
When asked about PM Modi's 'You are a champion among champions' tweet following Vinesh's disqualification from the final, the wrestler questioned the delay.
"When did he tweet? A whole day after I reached the final. He calls all the athletes immediately. The weigh-in issue happened the next day. Why didn’t I get a call from the PM once I reached the final?," the 30-year-old said.
Earlier this month, Vinesh, along with fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia, joined the Congress.
Haryana is slated to vote on October 5, with results scheduled to be declared on October 8.