Editorial Olympic Sports Paris 2024 Wrestling

Vinesh Phogat and shirking responsibility

September 12, 2024
Boria Majumdar
Vinesh Phogat and PT Usha

There is a lot of talk about Vinesh Phogat levelling a series of allegations against PT Usha and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that she now heads. She has even said that her medal was lost because the legal case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) wasn’t fought well. 

If we listen to her interview, she makes three key points: 

First, Usha went and met her at the village and, without her permission, clicked a photograph and posted it on social media. That Usha had gone to meet her was known to us all in Paris. Usha and Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala addressed the media an hour after meeting her, giving out all details to the media. If Usha did have the photo clicked without Vinesh’s consent and then posted it, she is right to ask if it was ethical. One would, in fact, expect Usha to clarify this point. However, posting the picture had absolutely no bearing on her being disqualified and losing the medal. 

As far as the event is concerned, it was Vinesh and her support team who needed to be responsible. She was well aware of what it entailed to fight in the 50kg category, far below her normal weight, and no one but her team could have influenced her in doing so. As an experienced athlete, it was her responsibility to make sure she was within the stipulated weight. That she wasn’t was very unfortunate and disappointing for us all in India. But if there is anyone at fault here, it is Vinesh and her support team, and not Usha or anyone else. That she lost the medal is her fault, and no one else’s, and that’s something she has to own up to. 

Now, coming to the issue of the IOA not telling her about the possibility of filing a case. What we know is that IOA officials went and spoke to the United World Wrestling (UWW) senior management and were clearly told that rules are rules and there was no chance of an about-turn. So it’s not true that they did not bother. Vinesh then went on to file her case at the CAS without even speaking to the IOA.

In fact, it was UWW that informed the IOA about her filing the case. The truth is there was no real communication between Vinesh and the IOA. But once the case was filed, the IOA did put its best foot forward and got the best in Harish Salve and Vidush Singhania to argue the case. They are the finest we have, and having spoken to Singhania multiple times, I am aware of the effort put in.

Singhania has fought cases for Bajrang Punia as well, and is still fighting one, so there was a comfort factor that Vinesh had with him. Also, a lawyer of the stature of Salve doesn’t fight a case to lose. To say that she lost the case because the IOA could have done better is unfair. The case was lost because rules are rules, and not because of the IOA. That’s the truth we all need to acknowledge and accept. 

The Vinesh fiasco remains a real sore point for us all from Paris 2024. It was heartbreaking to see her not get the medal after fighting the best three bouts of her life. She deserved the medal, and that will always hurt us. But the medal wasn’t lost at anyone else’s behest. It was lost because Vinesh wasn’t able to make the stipulated weight on the second morning, the onus for which was solely on her and her support team. As Pardiwala, someone she is close to, said later, “The truth is, everyone tried to do their best, but it did not happen in the end.” 

As I have always said, there was no sabotage. To imply sharp practices now that she is a politician is an election ploy, but it is also far from the truth. 

Also, Vinesh fought in Paris against all odds, making the final when few expected her to. She did not need IOA support to do so. Now when she has national support, to say that she is quitting because she lacked support from the IOA cuts no ice. She is quitting because she wants to be a politician, and sees a career there. May be a better career. There is no harm in stating that. It will make her a better politician, one who speaks the truth. Anything else won’t really go down well, for such statements, however much anyone tries to convince us, are fundamentally untrue.