Buy medals for Rs 15 each, said Bajrang Punia after Vinesh’s plea was rejected

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s petition for a joint silver medal in the women’s 50 kg freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics. The operative part of the order has come, while the detailed order will come later. Let us tell you that before the final match, Vinesh was disqualified due to her weight being 100 grams more. Vinesh had filed an appeal in CAS against this. After this decision of CAS, it has been decided that Vinesh Phogat will not get any medal.

Reactions have also started coming from the sports and political world in this matter. Wrestler Bajrang Punia wrote in a post on X, ‘I agree that your medal was taken away in this darkness, but today you are shining like a diamond in the whole world. World champion, pride of India, Rustam-e-Hind Vinesh Phogat, you are the Kohinoor of the country. The whole world is chanting Vinesh Phogat Vinesh Phogat. Those who want medals, buy them for Rs 15 each.’ In fact, Bajrang Punia has targeted former President of Wrestling Association of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh through his tweet.

Last year, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik had gone to Haridwar to throw all their international and national medals in the Ganga in protest against Brij Bhushan’s non-arrest on charges of sexual exploitation. Here, they were stopped from doing so by farmer leaders and others. When the media asked Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh about this, he said sarcastically, ‘The price of a medal is Rs 15, if you want to return it, then return the cash prize of crores of rupees. It is because of sports that he has also got a government job. In such a situation, what will happen even if the medals are returned? All the money should be returned along with interest.’

Boxer Vijender Singh has also reacted to the rejection of Vinesh Phogat’s plea by CAS. He wrote, ‘This is a very sad and unfortunate thing for us. If she had reached the final, we could have won gold in the Olympics. We stand with Vinesh and will always support her. This is a sad news and I am not happy with this news.’ Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh wrote in a post on X, ‘Vinesh Phogat became a victim of a conspiracy by her own people. When Vinesh won the wrestling with a weight of 50 kg in the semi-finals, why did she not get the silver medal? Even if IOA and BJP are happy with this decision, the country is sad and is with Vinesh.’

Senior advocate Vidushpat Singhania, representing the Indian Olympic Association in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has said in this case that the CAS decision has come in just one line. When the detailed order is passed, only after seeing it, we will be able to say something on it and what to do next will also be decided only then. Let us tell you that after being disqualified from the Olympics, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling. She wrote in a post on X, ‘Maa wrestling won over me, I lost. Sorry, your dream, my courage, all are broken. I do not have more strength than this now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to all of you. Sorry.’