On Tuesday morning, The Wrestling Federation of India temporarily suspended Vinesh Phogat for her ‘Acts of Indiscipline’ during Tokyo Olympics Campaign. The WFI mentioned certain actions of indiscipline from Vinesh at the Games. The star wrestler is believed to have refused to train with the rest of the athletes at the Olympics Village. She also did not wear the name of the official kit sponsors of Team India at the Olympics.
WFI Issues a Notice, If Not Reverted; Phogat May Be Banned for Longer Term
Vinesh Phogat has been crashed out of the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals after getting defeated. She was also was caught in WFI’s radar for her unusual behaviour which seemed very unprofessional to the authorities.
She has been given time till August 16 to reply to the notice that mentioned indiscipline on three counts. If the response is not satisfactory, the WFI can ban Vinesh for a longer term.
Statement by WFI
A source from WFI said that-
“This is gross indiscipline. She has been suspended temporarily and barred from all wrestling activities. She can’t compete in any national or other domestic events until she files a reply and WFI takes a final decision.”
Further adding the source stated that-
“WFI was pulled up by IOA why can’t they control their athletes. IOA is issuing a notice to WFI in this regard.”
Vinesh’s Demand at the Tokyo Games
Vinesh travelled to Tokyo from Hungary where she was constantly training with Coach Woller Akos. She had refused to stay at the same floor of the Games Village and train with the other Indian team members. She did not stay for a single day with the other wrestlers nor trained with them in the allotted area.
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Supposed Acts of Indiscipline
Vinesh Phogat was training with Woller Akos’s wife and was caught in the WFI’s radar. WFI president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh sensed something was wrong when she refused to train and stay with the other Indian wrestlers in Tokyo.
Vinesh also did not wear the name of the official sponsors of the Indian contingent, ‘Shiv Naresh’, and chose to wear a Nike singlet during her bouts.
Phogat Couldn’t Even Reach the Medal Rounds
Vinesh crashed out in the quarter-final bout of the Women’s 53kg Freestyle event at the Tokyo Olympics. A lot was expected from the star wrestler but she couldn’t even make it to the medal rounds. Vinesh had entered the Games as a top medal contender but ended up with an unfortunate defeat by fall against Belarus’ Vanesa.
Vinesh Created Chaos at the Olympics
The officials who were in Tokyo said that Vinesh had created chaos when she was allotted a room near those of her Indian team-mates, Sonam, Anshu Malik and Seema Bisla. She denied the room by tossing an argument that she might get infected with coronavirus since these wrestlers travelled to Tokyo from India.
Also Read: Tokyo Olympics: Bajrang Punia Does India Proud, Bags Bronze medal in Wrestling
Young Wrestler Sonam Malik gets Penalised
The 19-year old wrestler Sonam has been given a notice for misconduct. Sonam had ordered Sports Authority of India officials to collect her passport from the WFI office before leaving for the Tokyo Olympics. According to the rules and regulations, either the wrestler or his/her family is supposed to collect passports but Sonam has been penalised for her ‘unacceptable behaviour’.
