Vinesh Phogat Says This On Support Staff, Who Were Called 'Tourists' And Faced Backlash After Olympic Heartbreak

18.08.2024 - 09:35 sports.ndtv.com

After Vinesh Phogat got disqualified from the Olympics 2024 50kg wrestling final for being 100 gram overweight, several athletes, officials and other blamed her coaches, phyios and trainers for not being able to manage her weight.

In fact, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh raised questions on the presence of Vinesh's personal coach and support staff, wondering what they were doing in Paris. “The player is fully concentrated on her practice which is why it would be unfair to blame her for this.

Why is the support staff sent with the athlete, and the government sends them along with the player, ‘Wo sab wahan tafri karne gaye hai kya (have they gone there for tourism)?' Sanjay Singh said. "An athlete who has won three of her bouts has to concentrate on her game, the staff is supposed to keep all other details in check,” Sanjay Singh told IANS in an exclusive interview.

However, in her first response since she got disqualified on August 7, Vinesh Phogat on Friday thanked members of her support staff Dr Wayne Patrick Lombard, coach Woller Akos and physiotherapist Ashwini Jeevan Patil along with Indian Olympic Association (IOA)'s CMO, besides Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, after her Paris Olympics campaign ended in a heartbreak.

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Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the 50-kg final match in the recent Paris games, was honoured with a gold medal by the Sarvkhap Panchayat here on Sunday. "My fight has not ended, it has rather just begun. The fight for our daughters' honour has just started. We said the same thing during our sit-in," Phogat said, addressing an event organised to felicitate her. She was part of the agitation by wrestlers, mostly from Haryana, against the then Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP leader Brijbhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment last year.

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Ace Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat couldn't be rewarded with a medal despite her progression to the final of the women's 50kg freestyle wrestling final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Vinesh's disqualification from the vent, owing to a failed weigh-in by just 100 grams, left the entire India heartbroken. Hopes of being honoured with a silver medal did arise after Vinesh challenged the decision at the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), but that verdict also went against her. Though the Paris Games produced quite a dramatic and bitter turn in her career, Vinesh is still seen as a winner back home.

CAS Gives Reasons For Rejecting Vinesh Phogat's Appeal, Says "No Tolerance.."

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that athletes will have to ensure that they remain below their weight limit and no exception can be provided under any circumstance, while giving reasons for its rejection of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the Paris Olympics final. An ad-hoc division of the CAS had on August 14 rejected her appeal against a gut-wrenching disqualification from the final for being 100gm overweight, a decision that evoked a sharp reaction from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The CAS on Monday published a detailed decision, furnishing reasons why Vinesh's appeal was rejected.

Vinesh Phogat has seen a lot in the last fortnight. From the high of becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to enter an Olympics final to the low of getting disqualified for being 100 gram overweight on the morning of the gold medal bout, Vinesh has seen a lot. Her appeal for a shared silver medal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) too. The support and adulation for Vinesh has not been short though. From the time she landed in India from Paris, Vinesh has been showered with love wherever she has gone. There have been announcements of cash prize too. However, her husband Somvir Rathee has claimed that few organisations have made the false claims of giving her cash prize of ober Rs 16 crore.

Watch: Tired Vinesh Phogat Falls Ill During Felicitation In Village, Bajrang Punia Concerned

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat had a heartbreaking end to her Paris Olympics 2024 campaign as she was disqualified from women's 50kg freestyle wrestling final for being 100gms overweight. Later, the 29-year-old wrestler even made an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to be considered for a joint-silver medal. However, her appeal was also rejected and she had to returned home without any medal. But on a lighter note, Vinesh received a grand welcome from her family and fans after she returned to her home town in Haryana.

Vinesh Phogat Hugs Uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat After Returning From Olympics - Video Goes Viral

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat returned to India on Saturday after her Paris Olympics 2024 campaign and received an overwhelming reception from the crowd. Hundreds of supporters had gathered outside the IGI airport in New Delhi to give a rousing welcome to Vinesh who was disqualified for being overweight after reaching the 50kg final at the Olympics. Vinesh's appeal against her disqualification was also rejected by the ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Amid this grand welcome in Delhi, a very heartwarming moment was captured from Vinesh's native village in Haryana.