Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has accused the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) of hindering her participation in the Olympic Qualifiers by imposing logistical obstacles for her support staff. However, WFI has vehemently denied these allegations, asserting that Phogat’s request for accreditation for her coach and physio came after the deadline for entries had passed.
The 29-year-old Phogat, a bronze medalist in the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and a gold medalist in the 2018 Asian Games (in the 50kg category), expressed concerns about being ensnared in a doping case.
“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 lengthy post on his ‘X’ page in Hindi.
“If I say that there could be a conspiracy to trap me in doping, then it will not be wrong.”
“For the past one month, I have been requesting the Government of India (SAI, TOPS) for the accreditation of my coach and physio. Without accreditation, it is not possible for my coach and physio to accompany me to the competition arena,” she said.
“But despite repeated requests, I am not getting any concrete answer from anywhere. No one is ready to help. Will the future of players always be played with like this? “No stone is being left unturned to mentally harass us. How far is it justified to torture us like this before such an important competition?” she asked.
The Asian Olympic qualifying tournament starts April 19.
Meanwhile, an official of WFI said that Phogat’s request for accreditation for her coach and physio was received on March 18, after the registration deadline of March 11 set by the world governing body UWW. WFI claims that they had already submitted the entries by March 15 after the UWW extended the deadline slightly due to trials being conducted on the last day.
Phogat, who is aiming for an Olympic quota in the 50kg category at the Asian qualifying tournament in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, had also competed in the 53kg category at the selection trials in Patiala, where she lost in the semifinals.
In response to Phogat’s allegations, a WFI official, who did not wish to be named, told PTI that they had no objection to Phogat traveling with her personal coach and physio, but she needed to obtain accreditation from UWW since the entry deadline had passed. The official emphasized that the federation had not received any directive from the Ministry or SAI regarding adding Phogat’s coach to the list.
“See, we are allowed to send three coaches for 10 players. Nine coaches are already in Bishkek for the Asian Championship for 30 wrestlers and the same set of coaches will be there for the Asian Qualifier where we will have only five women wrestlers competing. Are three coaches not enough for five wrestlers? “Why send extra coaches? But if Vinesh wants her personal coach in Bishkek, she can try to get it done from UWW. We have no objection to that,” the official said, as quoted by PTI.
Furthermore, the official pointed out that similar requests from other wrestlers, including men’s freestyle wrestler Deepak Punia, had been received, but the federation had not accommodated them without instructions from the government.
Phogat had been involved in a protest against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. She questioned whether the difficulties she is currently facing are a consequence of her activism and expressed hope for justice before representing the country in competitions.