Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), mentioned he needs to make an instance of wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was served a show-cause for allegedly refusing to stick with the Indian group on the Tokyo Olympics and never sporting the group’s official uniform for her bouts.
Singh additionally demanded a much bigger say within the planning for the Paris Olympics whereas accusing the Target Olympic Podium Scheme in addition to personal our bodies just like the Olympic Gold Quest and JSW Sports for sidelining the federation. Excerpts from an interview:
Has there been additional progress on the difficulty associated to Vinesh?
We have referred it to our disciplinary committee, which can name Vinesh, Sonam and Divya Kakran. It’s straightforward to say ‘I’ve made mistake’. But what made you commit that mistake, and why? These are senior wrestlers. Vinesh has replied by her lawyer and mentioned she didn’t stick with the Indian group for the betterment of the opposite wrestlers in order that they don’t get uncovered to the virus. Okay, possibly it was for others’ good. But then why didn’t she put on the costume? Because of that mistake, she has to know what all I needed to bear, what occurred to me.
What occurred to you?
After Deepak Punia’s incident occurred, when his coach beat up one official, I needed to seem earlier than a fee that had members from the United World Wrestling and International Olympic Committee. I had to make sure the group didn’t get debarred. I instructed them there has by no means been a case the place our wrestlers have flouted any guidelines and expressed remorse however they questioned me, ‘how do you run the federation. Your wrestler isn’t sporting the (official) costume’. She may have misplaced a medal had she received. This isn’t a small incident. I needed to beg and plead.
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Do you suppose that is additionally a difficulty of gender equality? There was only one coach for 4 girls wrestlers however seven coaches and assist workers for 3 male wrestlers.
The Indian Olympic Association had set a restrict on what number of coaches and physios may go.
But as federation president, do you suppose it was proper for 4 girls to get only one coach?
This you’ll be able to ask (assistant secretary Vinod) Tomar ji [Tomar: “We had one chief coach and common freestyle coaches for both teams.”] And if you’re coming to the difficulty of Vinesh not having her private physio on the Olympics, she didn’t inform the federation who her physio was. How are we purported to know except she tells us?
Vinesh has written a number of emails to the federation with all particulars.
She gave these proposals to TOPS, by no means to us straight. She ought to have given it to us.
There are emails…
It has by no means occurred that Vinesh approached the federation. This is my allegation in opposition to TOPS. They are straight overseeing points like the place the athlete ought to go for coaching.
So the difficulty shouldn’t be planning per se however simply that Vinesh, in keeping with you, despatched the proposal to TOPS and to not WFI?
If it was our plan then I may have despatched my complete group. Bajrang and Vinesh had been two very senior wrestlers. Their rating was first-class going into the Olympics. They thought a sure plan was higher for his or her future in order that they instructed TOPS, who then instructed us.
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About planning, the federation had held only one nationwide camp for ladies wrestlers since April.
Tell me, is there some other federation aside from mine that carried out nationals throughout a pandemic?
That’s a unique matter. Between April and July, there was only one nationwide camp for ladies that lasted for lower than two weeks.
I don’t bear in mind precisely. Anshu (Malik) went to some nation for coaching after nationwide camp, Poland I believe and after that both Russia or Belarus. I had despatched your entire group. Vinesh was coaching in Hungary earlier than that. I don’t have any drawback with them coaching overseas however neither the India coach nor federation was taken into confidence. They took TOPS into confidence.
At the Tokyo Olympics, a males’s coach (Rajiv Tomar) had gone as girls’s group coach.
No, he didn’t go as girls’s coach however he was made the ladies’s coach quickly for some motive.
What was the explanation?
That Tomarji will let you know. [Tomar: He was there at the pre-departure camp in Sonepat. Since there is no difference in men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling, we had common coaches for both teams and he was one of them.]
Vinesh has had a string of fine performances. Is banning an athlete from the world championships a simply punishment?
I’m not her enemy and I’ve nothing private in opposition to her. But IOC ke saamne jo jaleel aur beijjat hona pada… how may she put on a unique costume? She is senior sufficient to grasp there’s a correct costume for each match. We have to have a look at different wrestlers too. India’s wrestling isn’t depending on one wrestler. We have to ensure nobody makes such errors sooner or later.
READ | Vinesh Phogat breaks silence, says everybody exterior is treating me like I’m a lifeless factor… One medal (misplaced) and the whole lot is completed
But then, WFI too has made errors prior to now.
What mistake has the WFI made? WFI has by no means made a mistake in life. No one can level out even one mistake now we have ever made.
One instance is in the course of the Olympic qualifier earlier this yr. The girls’s group reached hours earlier than their bout, needed to reduce weight at an airport terminal, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat…
This, when the programme is made, when a group has to achieve their vacation spot, these are small issues. What can I do about this?
There was one other occasion just a few years in the past the place in a qualifier for the Rio Olympics, a physio needed to compete in a bout as a result of India didn’t have sufficient representatives.
I don’t have sufficient paperwork throughout this time. But if WFI is making errors, then you need to know that each different federation within the nation is making 10 instances extra errors.
Do you need TOPS to be concerned in wrestling?
Yes, they’re wanted. But no matter programme they make, chief coach and federation ought to be taken into confidence.
How do you see the function of OGQ, JSW, and so on.
We don’t want OGQ and JSW. They have spoilt three wrestlers, I received’t title them. When the Indian authorities is able to spend on the athletes, then why do we’d like them? They can assist junior and cadet wrestlers who really want assist. Not simply those that are near successful an enormous medal. They aren’t spending as a lot as the federal government, which has spent near Rs 85 crore on the wrestlers. My largest drawback is that they don’t inform me who they’re sending as sparring companions.
If a wrestler is related to any of those, what’s their future?
Bilkul nahi khelne doonga (Won’t permit them to play).
Not even somebody like (Tokyo silver medalist) Ravi Dahiya…
Even I’m giving Ravi Rs 1 lakh per 30 days. From what number of locations will you’re taking cash? We are prepared to provide you the whole lot. If they nonetheless wish to be concerned, they need to share a replica of their settlement with the gamers and think about our views.
Vinesh Phogat suffered a quarter-final defeat within the Tokyo Olympics. (File)
‘Several emails were sent by Vinesh to WFI detailing plans’
While JSW Sports didn’t remark, OGQ responded to allegations from WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan, stating that they had a strong junior program and weren’t claiming undue credit score. They additionally clarified that Vinesh Phogat had despatched a bunch of emails to WFI informing them of her plans and protecting them within the loop.
OGQ response:
OGQ has been supporting wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia for the final 6 years since they had been 17 and 16 years previous respectively, properly earlier than they each got here into the limelight.
OGQ has been working a reasonably large Junior Program within the nation the place we assist the coaching of extra that 100 junior athletes within the age group of 11-19 years throughout numerous sports activities. In reality, inside wrestling itself, of the 32 wrestlers we presently assist, 23 are junior wrestlers within the age group of 13-19 years throughout 7 totally different academies in Haryana and Maharashtra. We have been supporting PV Sindhu since she was 14 years previous and Lakshya Sen since he was 10 years previous.
The Government and SAI are undoubtedly the largest and most essential stakeholders in Olympic sport. We have mentioned again and again that the Government, SAI and TOPS are doing an excellent job particularly within the final 5 years in the course of the Tokyo Olympic cycle. They have wonderful bureaucrats and leaders like Sandeep Pradhan, DG, SAI and Cdr. Rajagopalan, CEO, TOPS.
One of the standout options of the final 5 years throughout this whole Tokyo Olympic cycle has been the teamwork between all stakeholders concerned in Indian sport. The Sports Authority of India (SAI), the National Sports Federations and Non-Profits like OGQ have labored in shut cooperation with one another to make sure that the athletes get the very best assist, all gaps are coated and there’s no overlapping of assist. For instance, within the case of Mirabai Chanu, SAI, Weightlifting Federation of India and OGQ labored in shut cooperation to ship her twice to St. Louis, USA to coach within the lead as much as the Tokyo Olympics.
To our data, a number of emails had been despatched within the final 10 months by Vinesh herself to WFI and TOPS. These emails had detailed info on the coaching plans for Tokyo, the coach and assist workers and sparring companions for Vinesh.
Finally, in the identical spirit of teamwork and cooperation talked about earlier, we despatched a proposal to WFI on twenty fourth March 2021 to work on 3 primary elements – Junior and Cadet wrestlers for the long run protecting Los Angeles 2028 Olympics in thoughts, Sports science and Coaches.