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WFI is still creating problems for Indian wrestling: Vinesh
After spending 2023 leading protests against former wrestling federation chief Brij Bhushan Singh, Vinesh is back pushing for Paris Olympics selection
Vinesh Phogat can’t wait to step on to the mat. The last time she competed was at the world championships in September, 2022. With a bronze in Belgrade, she showed the competitive fire still burned within her for an Olympic medal. Not living up to expectations and returning empty-handed from her second Olympics (in 2021 Tokyo) left her in trauma and a deep sense of unfulfillment in an otherwise stellar career.
The next 16 months saw Vinesh fight a battle far tougher and bigger than a wrestling bout.
Combative and fearless, Vinesh stood up against the then all-powerful Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing women wrestlers during his long tenure. She, along with Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, protested on the streets, slept on a makeshift bed at the Jantar Mantar protest site, and returned their cherished awards. The Paris Olympics seemed a distant dream but Vinesh maintained that the cause of fighting for the young generation was bigger than her wrestling career.
With six months to go for the Paris Olympics, Vinesh is backing herself to make a successful comeback. The last five months she has spent nursing a left knee injury, the second in her career after the right knee ACL tear during a preliminary bout at the 2016 Rio Olympics. At 29, Vinesh probably has one more Olympics left in her. A fighter, she wants to give it her all.
On Saturday afternoon, she was jovial and looked relaxed as she visited the Railways Stadium here. A smiling Vinesh posed for selfies with fellow wrestlers and officials and exchanged some light moments with Sakshi Malik.
“I can’t tell you how much I have longed to return to the mat. For one-and-a-half years, I used to feel so anxious seeing others competing. I am so happy that finally I will be able to come back. I started training in December,” she said.
“I am nervous because I will compete after long time. I will fight in 55kg because I am reducing weight after a long gap; I don’t want to cut too much weight when I'm coming back after surgery. I want to get some exposure and then shift to Olympic weight for bigger competitions like Asian Championships. It is tough to re-start but when I get into the competition mode, I know I will be alright.”
In her weight class (53kg), rising star Antim Panghal has bagged an Olympic quota.
Vinesh will have to be at the top of her game to upstage her in the selection trials – if trials do take place as announced by the ad-hoc committee prior to election of WFI. Vinesh said everyone should have more clarity about selection in an Olympic year.
“Everything about selection, competitions should be clear. Wrestlers should not suffer. The timing of selection trials, the competitions to participate -- all these things should be announced. Only then a wrestler can decide how to prepare and which tournaments to play," said Vinesh, who is employed with the Railways Sports Promotion Board.
“I am excited to see so many wrestlers participating here. Railways are good at organising sports events. I am happy to see that the nationals has an international tournament feel,” she said.
Vinesh wants to remain positive and not talk about the struggles of last year. But with WFI still run by those close to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the protesting wrestlers have maintained that the federation needs to be completely free from his clutches.
“I would like to believe that this is a new start in wrestling but there are still so many things going on. They are creating obstacles. Brij Bhushan’s side also held a nationals. State units are not being allowed to send their teams here. They are putting pressure on athletes. These are big issues.”
“If you are playing in two back-to-back tournaments, there are more chances of injury. This is an important year and Olympics comes once in four years. But they are trying to create problems -- dabdabe wali baat ho rahi hai abhi bhi (dominance is still happening).
After his close aide Sanjay Singh was elected president in the WFI elections, Brij Bhushan had said “dabdabaa tha, dabdabaa rahega! (I dominated, my dominance will continue).”
“Government should take note of this and issue clear directions to avoid confusion like what happened with the announcement of two nationals.”
For now, Vinesh wants to shift to competition mode. “Last year was a mental torture. We are just surviving because of wrestling and wanted to be back to the mat, so I want to focus on competition with positive energy.”
