CHENNAI: A couple of days after the sports ministry abstained the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) from functioning, multiple World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday decided to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards.
In an open letter written to Prime Minister and posted on X, formerly Twitter, Vinesh, who spearheaded the protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, asserted that she is returning the awards so that they do not become a burden on her from leading her life with dignity. The move surprised many as only three days after the WFI election the ministry not only restrained Brij Bhushan’s loyalist Sanjay Singh-led panel from taking over but also instructed the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad-hoc panel to run the sport.
Vinesh was conferred with the Khel Ratna, the highest sports honour in the country, in 2020 while she received the Arjuna Award in 2016. Her decision came days after Sakshi Malik quit wrestling and Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri Award.
In her letter, Vinesh wrote, “I remember in 2016 when Sakshi won the Olympic medal your government had made her the brand ambassador of ‘Beti bachao beti padhao’ campaign. Women players were happy and congratulated each other. But when Sakshi was forced to quit the sport, I cannot help but remember the year 2016 repeatedly. Do women players exist only for the publication of government ads? I also dreamt of winning an Olympic medal but that dream is now fading.”
मैं अपना मेजर ध्यानचंद खेल रत्न और अर्जुन अवार्ड वापस कर रही हूँ। इस हालत में पहुँचाने के लिए ताकतवर का बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद pic.twitter.com/KlhJzDPu9D
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) December 26, 2023
