S.Kannan in Hangzhou
There is no medal which Barjang Punia has not won in his illustrious wrestling career, be it at the Olympics, the Asian Games or the World Championships. Not to forget, the 29-year-old Haryanvi also shone in the Commonwealth Games editions as well.
The Bajrang Indian sports fans knew when he won a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Bajrang of today are like Jekyll and Hyde. People always knew him as a hard-working guy on the mat, someone who commanded respect.
Yet, the way Bajrang’s image has taken a beating in 2023 is nothing short of humiliation. On Friday in Hangzhou, Bajran appeared a caricature of himself. The way he was exposed in the semi-finals by Iranian Rahman Amouzad was an ugly sight to watch. This was a direct consequence of not training and taking it easy.
If any of the kids at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi or the SAI Centres in India had seen Bajrang in action, they would have puked. Damn, this guy is a disgrace. The way Bajrang has been behaving in the last one year clearly suggests there is a sense of entitlement. He thinks Indian wrestling is dead without him.
Perhaps, this was divine justice waiting to happen where Rahman exposed Bajrang in the semi-finals. After all, the initial rounds had been easy for the Indian grappler. The huge double leg from Rahman was suggestive of how he wanted to finish Bajrang.
It is not as if the drama which Bajrang orchestrated in New Delhi against former wrestling federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at the start of the year had no agenda. It is understandable the lady wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik complained of “sexual harassment” and much more. There were also allegations a minor wrestler was also traumatised which turned out to be a lie.
Ok, when did Bajrang get into the drama of facing any harassment? According to his own statements, he was supporting the other fellow lady wrestlers. If that be the case, he should have returned to training once the Delhi Police began its probe and courts of law took over.
No, Bajrang wanted to pursue his real agenda, that is get into the politics of the wrestling federation and decide “who will get in.” As things stand today, the wrestling federation elections are in cold storage.
The man who heads the adhoc committee of wrestling is Bhupender Singh Bajwa, chef de mission at the Asian Games. Bajwa is a disaster as a chef de mission. A man who left behind his own three wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh in New Delhi does not deserve to be heading any sports body. If a man who is president of the wushu body can be blind to the plight of his own athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, it tells you a lot. Sadly, wrestling has suffered with him as adhoc chief.
Bajwa is “busy” in Hangzhou visiting venues and enjoying the hospitality of China. When a few media folks asked him questions on the Arunachal Pradesh issue, he side-stepped the topic.
Back to Bajwa and Bajrang, it was unfair that the grappler got the nod to compete in the Asian Games without trials. It was the worst decision which could have been taken, for Bajrang’s fitness was always suspect. He had been spending more time chasing people in the corridors of power so that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh or his family members would not get into the new elected body.
For those not aware, the hours Bajrang has trained before coming to Hangzhou is near zero. This is a far cry from the man who slogged, burnt calories in thousands and was razor sharp. Even on arrival in Hangzhou, Bajrang created controversies over his personal physio. The physio who came to the Asian Games was staying in a hotel and had no access to the Athletes Village till two days ago. Bajrang will come up with excuses. He is a master at it.
People who have followed Bajrang and his activity are well aware he has been recalcitrant in his approach. When the farmers agitation had rocked India last year, Bajrang was sitting on the Singhu border in solidarity with them. If he cared for the farmers, he should have given up wrestling.
If the farmers’ protest was one sore incident of a national athlete funded by the Government of India supporting anti-national themes, why did people keep quiet? Elite athletes get their entire support from the tax payers’ money. From training at camps to food, supplements, tours, physios, coaches and tours, Bajrang has been very much a free-loader.
Why he has been pampered so much needs to be answered. If it was to diffuse the wrestling crisis, it may have been a great strategy. But then, for Bajrang to ruin another wrestler’s chance at the Asian Games is so sad. Surely, illustrious wrestlers before Bajrang like Yogeshwar Dutt were not so self centred.
On the other hand, Vinesh Phogat is now recovering after surgery while Sakshi Malik’s career is as good as over. So, the guy who has had real fun, used five star hotel facilities – food plus toilets etc — in New Delhi while others were protesting at Jantar Mantar deserves to be exposed. This is the real Bajrang Punia, an imposter, no longer a champion.
At a time when Indian sports is celebrating the highs in the Asian Games, it pains to see a guy faking it. One hopes the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry will probe if this guy was even fit to leave India. The adhoc committee must be disbanded, it gave far too many liberties to Bajrangh Punia. Indian athletes slog and are burning blood to win medals. This guy Bajrang makes your blood boil.
Yank his mask off, expose him.