WFI is still creating problems for Indian wrestling: Vinesh

After spending 2023 leading protests against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan, Vinesh is back pushing for Olympics selection

- Avishek Roy

Vinesh Phogat can't wait to step on to the mat. The last time she competed was at the world championships in September, 2022. With a bronze in Belgrade, she showed the competitive fire still burned within her for an Olympic medal. Not living up to expectations and returning empty-handed from her second Olympics (in 2021 Tokyo) left her in trauma and a deep sense of unfulfillment in an otherwise stellar career.

The next 16 months saw Vinesh fight a battle far tougher and bigger than a wrestling bout.

Combative and fearless, Vinesh stood up against the then all-powerful Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing women wrestlers during his long tenure. She, along with Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, protested on the streets, slept on a makeshift bed at the Jantar Mantar protest site, and returned their cherished awards. The Paris Olympics seemed a distant dream but Vinesh maintained that the cause of fighting for the young generation was bigger than her wrestling career.