Vinesh Phogat, a renowned figure in the world of wrestling, has found herself in a controversy with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The World Championships medallist has accused the WFI president, Sanjay Singh, of creating logistical hurdles for her support staff, hindering her preparations for the upcoming Olympic Qualifiers.
Vinesh Phogat accuses WFI
Phogat, who has previously won bronze medals in the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and a gold in the 2018 Asian Games, is currently eyeing an Olympic quota in the 50kg category. However, she alleges that the WFI is trying to stop her from competing by creating logistical issues for her support staff.
The 29-year-old wrestler claims that despite her repeated requests to the Government of India (SAI, TOPS) for the accreditation of her coach and physio, she has not received any concrete response. Without accreditation, her coach and physio cannot accompany her to the competition arena, which is a significant setback for her preparations.
Phogat also expressed fears of being ensnared in a doping case. She stated, “Brij Bhushan and his dummy Sanjay Singh are trying in every way to stop me from playing in the Olympics. All the coaches who have been appointed with the team are the favourites of Brij Bhushan and his team, so it cannot be denied that they may mix something in my water and make me drink it during my match?” Phogat said in an X post.
19th अप्रैल को एशियन ओलम्पिक क्वालीफाई टूर्नामेंट शुरू होने जा रहा है। मेरे द्वारा लगातार एक महीने से भारत सरकार (SAI,TOPS) सभी से मेरे कोच और फिजियो की ACCREDITATION (मान्यता) के लिए रिक्वेस्ट की जा रही है। ACCREDITATION के बिना मेरे कोच और फिजियो का मेरे साथ कम्पटीशन ARENA में…
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) April 12, 2024
The WFI, however, has vehemently denied these charges. They claim that Phogat applied after the deadline to send entries had expired. According to the WFI, Phogat’s request mail for the accreditation of her coach and physio came on March 18, but by then, the federation had already sent the entries of the players, coaches, and medical staff to the world governing body UWW as the registration deadline was March 11.
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