The world championship medallist addressed the prime minister via social media in a new show of dissent regarding the federation (WFI) election.
Two-time Olympian and double World Championship bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat declared on Tuesday that she is surrendering her Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards. To make her decision public, the 29-year-old wrote a note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social networking platform X.
Four days after bronze medallist Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri, Phogat made his announcement. Bronze medallist Sakshi Malik from the Rio Games announced her retirement on December 21, just hours after Sanjay Singh’s panel, backed by former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, topped the WFI voting.
WFI was suspended by the sports ministry on Sunday, with various violations of the National Sports Code and the federation constitution as well as “blatant disregard for legal and procedural norms” being cited. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was given instructions by the ministry to form an ad hoc committee to oversee the federation. IOA has not yet announced the new committee; its ad hoc panel had overseen the organization until the elections.
“I am giving up my Arjuna Award and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna. Phogat wrote, “Many thanks to the powerful who put me in this situation.” The wrestler received the Khel Ratna, India’s greatest sports honor for sportsmen, in 2020 in addition to the Arjuna Award in 2016.
“Bajrang Punia has returned his Padma Shri, while Sakshi Malik has stepped down from wrestling. The reason the Olympic medallists had to do this is known to the entire nation, and you would have heard about it as well. “Mr. Prime Minister, I’m Vinesh Phogat, the daughter of your nation, and I’m writing to you to share with you my experiences over the past year,” she said.
“I recall that the government appointed Sakshi Malik as a brand ambassador for the beti bachao beti padhao (save the girl child, educate the girl child) programme in 2016,” the year Sakshi Malik returned from her Olympic victory. Every female wrestler was overjoyed. My thoughts return to 2016, now that Sakshi has been forced to give up on wrestling. Are female athletes just there to appear in government advertisements? Being in those advertisements doesn’t bother us since they convey the idea that your administration is genuinely interested in improving the lives of women. I aimed to represent my country by earning an Olympic medal, but that dream is getting farther and farther away these days. I hope the aspiring female wrestlers achieve their goals.
“Those elegant ads are nothing like our life. You can tell how suffocated we are by what the women wrestlers have gone through in the last few years. The flex boards from your elegant ads would have become tatty by now. Sakshi has already retired, and the offender has turned to overt sloganeering in addition to bragging about his influence. Please listen to these words for five minutes so that you can understand what he has done. He has acknowledged that he unnerved female wrestlers and has tried his hardest to make us seem bad. More significantly, he has made several complainants back off. That is terrifying.
“I’ve made an effort to move past this entire incident, but it’s difficult. I did tell you everything when we first met. We have been demonstrating for justice on the streets for the past year, but no one has bothered to pay attention. They claimed that our medals are only worth ₹15, yet we value these medals more than our lives. We are being called traitors now that we have spoken up for justice. Are we betraying you, Mr. Prime Minister?
“I’m not sure what made Bajrang return his Padma Shri, but I can’t stop staring at his picture doing so. I hate my awards just as much as he does. My mother encouraged my family to follow the news on TV and handed out candy to neighbors when I was given these accolades. What those relatives would be telling my mother right now makes me tremble.
“I want to let go of the picture of Vinesh accepting those awards because everything that is happening to us is true, and it was just a dream. A mother would never wish for her daughter to experience this. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are things I was given, but they signify nothing to me today. All women desire to live honorably. In light of this, I am returning my Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to prevent them from impeding our efforts to live honorable lives,” Phogat said.
Sanjay Singh staged a massive road show after arriving back in his birthplace of Varanasi on Tuesday. It was a fitting demonstration of power. As hundreds of cars drove through the city, people showered each other with affection. 35 miles took me six hours to complete,” remarked Sanjay, whose Facebook page broadcast the event.
Regarding Vinesh’s choice to return her honors, I have no say in the matter. She made that choice on her own. “I hope the sports ministry will give the WFI’s suspension some second thought,” he continued.