The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) stand on a petition filed by wrestler Bajrang Punia challenging his suspension. As the senior counsel appearing for the athlete pressed for an interim relief while citing the upcoming Senior World Wrestling Championships in Albania, the court said no formal application has been filed for the same. Justice Sanjeev Narula issued a notice to the agency on the plea moved by Punia, who was one of the wrestlers at the forefront of last year’s protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers.

NADA’s counsel said a disciplinary panel has been constituted and it is looking into the issue, adding that a final hearing is “about to happen”.

On June 21, NADA imposed a “provisional suspension” on Punia for a second time and issued a formal “notice of charge”, rendering him ineligible to train and participate in competitions.

The move came three weeks after an anti-disciplinary doping panel revoked the earlier suspension on the ground that NADA had not issued a “notice of charge” to the wrestler.

NADA had first suspended Punia on April 23 for his refusal to give his urine sample for a dope test during the selection trials held in Sonipat on March 10. The sport’s global governing body, United Wrestling World (UWW), had also suspended Punia.

“This is a classic case of how to hound someone…. The world championship is round the corner. I have to participate, I have to practise. They are finishing my career,” senior advocate Rajiv Dutta argued in the court on behalf of the wrestler.

During the hearing, Justice Narula questioned Punia on his refusal to submit a sample for the testing, asking, “How will they let you play if you don’t test?” “If you don’t undergo the test, how will they qualify you?” the court asked.

Punia’s counsel asserted that he has “not refused” to undergo the dope test but has only demanded an answer from the authorities regarding the manner in which the earlier tests were sought to be conducted.

Seeking a direction to set aside NADA’s decision, Dutta said, “The provision says if I have a reason not to undergo the test, they have to look into it. There is no provision for provisional suspension. Set aside the provisional suspension and grant me a hearing.” “I have not refused. I did not refuse. The first thing was, the person who came brought an outdated kit. They admitted it. That man has been suspended. I said please give me an answer to what has happened. In the second instance, those who came, they were not even authorised to do it,” the lawyer argued.

The court, however, said it “cannot be the basis” to not undergo the test subsequently.

“That cannot be the basis that okay, this incident has happened and now, for further testing, I will not give my sample,” the court said.

Punia’s counsel said he is ready to undergo the test on Wednesday itself.

“Let them take the sample today,” Dutta, who appeared along with lawyer Neha Singh, submitted.

The counsel for NADA said the authority “cannot take samples like this” as the same is done in accordance with a test-distribution plan.

The court orally said Punia can agitate his grievances before the disciplinary panel and listed the matter for further hearing in October.

NADA’s counsel asserted that no player can refuse to undergo the dope test and Punia is not being “targeted”.

“A disciplinary panel is in place. We, as NADA, will never want any of our Olympian players, who will tomorrow get medals for the country, to be put in a bad position,” the lawyer said.

“They say he is being targeted. This is wrong. The final hearing is about to happen. Litigation will derail (the process). We also want him to go and play. If we stop everyone, who will represent India,” she added.

Dutta submitted that the hearing before the panel can be held this week itself and Punia should be heard.

In his petition filed through lawyer Vidushpat Singhania, Punia has argued that NADA has acted in violation of the testing guidelines and protocols.

The grappler has claimed that the agency’s conduct is in violation of his fundamental rights to practise a profession and earn a livelihood under the Constitution, and that he would be “forced to retire” if the “arbitrary” suspension is not lifted.

“The petitioner will be forced to retire from wrestling due to the arbitrary actions of the respondent. In particular, the petitioner may lose out on competing at the Senior World Wrestling Championships set to be held in Albania from October 28 to 31, 2024, which is the last major event that he shall have the opportunity to compete in for a period of two years. Consequently, the petitioner will have no other option but to officially retire from the sport of wrestling,” the plea has said.

One of India’s top women wrestlers Sakshi Malik will come out with her memoir in October in which she gives an “honest account” of her life — the highs, lows, and everything in between. Published by Juggernaut Books, “Witness” is co-authored by Jonathan Selvaraj. In her fiery memoir, Malik tells her story beginning from childhood, introduction to wrestling in Rohtak, win in the Rio Olympics, post-Olympics journey, struggles and triumphs over injuries and self-doubt, and finally, the most recent public battle with the administration of Wrestling Foundation of India (WFI) that has played out on the streets of New Delhi.

Interspersed throughout her story are fascinating insights into the world of women’s wrestling in India — training, camp life, body image, dating, finances, and what it takes to be an elite international wrestler, Juggernaut said in a statement.

“It’s a really honest account of my life – the highs, lows, and everything in between. I gave this book my all and I hope readers like it,” says Malik of her literary venture. According to Chiki Sarkar, publisher of Juggernaut Books, “Witness” is “one of the great memoirs of our time – Sakshi has written a no-holds barred book”.

“It not only talks about her struggles with the Wrestling Foundation of India but also brings vividly alive her childhood, the world of wrestling and what it takes to be an Olympic medalist. We are extremely proud to be publishing this milestone book,” she added.

In December 2023, Malik quit professional wrestling. She was, at that point, India’s best known woman wrestler — the first and only woman wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics with fights both ongoing and ahead of her.

The Delhi High Court has refused to provide any relief to former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The court has asked Singh’s lawyer to submit a short note with all his contentions for quashing the case against him.

Singh’s petition seeks to contest the continuation of these proceedings against him. He faces charges of sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of women.

Brij Bhushan has challenged the FIR, the chargesheet, and the trial court’s order related to the framing of charges in the case. His petition seeks to contest the legal proceedings against him in connection with the complaints filed by several women wrestlers.

He contended that the investigation was done in a biased manner as only the version of the victims, who were interested in taking revenge against him, was considered and the charge sheet was filed before the trial court without taking care of the falsehood of allegation.

Brij Bhushan, a six-time MP who represented Gonda, Balrampur and Kaiserganj, was denied a ticket for this year’s Lok Sabha elections after sexual harassment allegations by six women wrestlers. He also had to step down as the WFI chief.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat returned to India on Saturday after her Paris Olympics 2024 campaign and received an overwhelming reception from the crowd. Hundreds of supporters had gathered outside the IGI airport in New Delhi to give a rousing welcome to Vinesh who was disqualified for being overweight after reaching the 50kg final at the Olympics. Vinesh’s appeal against her disqualification was also rejected by the ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Amid this grand welcome in Delhi, a very heartwarming moment was captured from Vinesh’s native village in Haryana.

Upon arriving at Balali, Haryana, Vinesh hugged her uncle and mentor Mahavir Singh Phogat and the duo shared a very emotional moment. During Vinesh’s disqualification at Olympics, Mahavir was constantly extending support to Vinesh.

VIDEO | Wrestler Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) meets her uncle Mahavir Phogat upon her arrival in Balali, Haryana.

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/dv5TRAShcC) pic.twitter.com/IUp2dn30vc

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 17, 2024

This particular hug between the duo left all the netizens and fans emotional.

On August 8, Vinesh penned an emotional to announce her decision to retire from wrestling. However, after seeing such warm reception from the fans, she stated that she has got the courage to pick up the threads and get on with life.

“As I got love from my fellow Indians, my village and my family members, I guess I would get some courage to make this wound heal. Maybe, I could return to wrestling,” Vinesh told the media.

“I just want to say that missing the Olympic medal is the biggest wound in my life. I don’t know how much time it would take to heal this wound. I don’t know if I would pursue wrestling or not but the kind of courage I got today (Saturday), I want to use that in the right direction,” she added.

Vinesh and fellow Olympians Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik have been protesting for more than a year against the Wrestling Federation of India and its former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for his alleged sexual harassment of women grapplers.

“Our fight has not ended and the fight will continue and I pray to god that the truth will prevail,” said Vinesh.

(With PTI Inputs)

File image of Vinesh Phogat.© X (Twitter)

After announcing India’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics in his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for Indian athletes’ input for the smooth hosting of the quadrennial extravaganza in 2036. Notably, India will be bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2036. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has also initiated the dialogue process with the Future Host Commission (FHC).

The PM had invited the entire Indian contingent from Paris Olympics to join in on the Independence Day celebrations at his residence in New Delhi. While addressing them, he asked athletes, who had competed in previous Olympics, to share their insights and recommendations, which would help the nation prepare to host the Games in 2036.

“India is preparing to host the 2036 Olympics. In this regard, the input from athletes who have played in previous Olympics is very important. You all must have observed and experienced many things. We want to document this and share it with the government so that we don’t miss out on any small details in the preparation for 2036,” PM Modi said.

Further, PM Modi referred to the Indian contingent as an integral part of his “2036 team” and asked the sports ministry to draft a document and thoroughly consider player comments and suggestions.

“In this way, you are an important part of my 2036 team, helping us host an Olympics like no other in the world. I would like the Sports Ministry to prepare a draft and gather detailed feedback from athletes so that we can plan well,” he added.

“You athletes should also give us suggestions on how to improve Indian sports further. Your feedback and suggestions are very important because it’s your responsibility to guide those who will represent the country in the future. You should interact with players on social media. The Sports Ministry can also organise such sessions in different places.

The allotment of hosting rights for the Olympics is done by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through a detailed host selection process. The IOC has a dedicated body, the Future Host Commission, which deals with this subject.

The interested National Olympics Committees (NOCs) are required to initiate a dialogue with the FHC, which subsequently becomes a continuous dialogue and finally, a targeted dialogue with the selected NOCs.

Once the FHC completes this dialogue, the IOC Executive Board holds an election wherein the members vote for the award of the hosting rights for the concerned Olympic Games.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praise on wrestler Vinesh Phogat for her scintillating show at the Paris Olympics and becoming the first Indian woman grappler to reach the final. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met and greeted the Indian athletes and medal winners of the recently concluded Paris Olympics at his residence 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital on Independence Day. While interacting with Indian contingent from the Paris Olympics, PM Modi noted Vinesh’s achievement and said, “Vinesh became the first Indian (women) to reach the finals in wrestling, which is a matter of great pride for all of us.”

Vinesh’s historic feat suffered a nosedive as she was disqualified from the women’s 50 kg gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics after being weighed “few grams over” the permissible limits on morning of the final match.

Following the major heartbreak at the grand sporting arena, Vinesh took to social media to announce her decision to retire from wrestling.

The wrestler from Haryana has three Commonwealth Games golds, two World Championships bronze medals and one Asian Games gold medal to her name. She was also crowned Asian champion in 2021.

However, she appealed against her Olympic disqualification with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) and demanded a joint silver medal in the 50kg weight category.

But, the Ad-Hoc Division of the CAS dismissed the Vinesh’s petition against her disqualification, shattering her dream of clinching her maiden Olympic medal.

A total of 117 Indian athletes participated across 16 sports at the Paris Games: archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, golf, hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, wrestling, table tennis, and tennis.

India clinched six medals at the Paris Olympics, one silver and five bronze. Although hopes were high for a historic performance, the country fell just short of surpassing its previous best at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when they secured seven medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze) and ranked 48th.

India’s star wrestler Vinesh Phogat was on cusp of history in the women’s freestyle 50kg category at Paris Olympics 2024, after two giant-killing victories in the Round of 16 and quarter-final. Vinesh beat two titans of 50kg wrestling: Japan’s Yui Susaki and Ukraine’s Oksana Livach. In the semi-final, she beat Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez. However, before her final bout, Vinesh Phogat, the 29-year-old was disqualified from the women’s 50kg free-style final for being 100gm overweight at the time of weigh-in. Vinesh, who was making her third Olympic appearance here, announced her retirement from the sport a day after her disqualification, saying that she doesn’t have the strength to continue.

The world championships bronze-medallist had resorted to desperate measures to save herself from disqualification, including cutting her hair, going without food and water, and working out an entire night.

She ultimately needed IV fluids due to extreme dehydration and her plight evoked sympathy across the board.

Let’s take a deep-dive about Vinesh’s two opponents, to get a better grasp of how brilliant her wins were.

Yui Susaki

Susaki is not only the no. 1-ranked wrestler, she is also the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the category. What’s even more crazy is that she had won the gold in Tokyo 2020 without giving up a single point to her opponent.

Before her match against Vinesh, Susaki had never lost an international wrestling match, boasting a mind-boggling record of 82-0. She is also a four-time gold medalist at the Wrestling World Championships. Open her Wikipedia page, and you won’t spot a single tinge of silver or bronze; it’s all gold. Susaki was the overwhelming favourite to retain her Olympic gold, but lost 3-2 in a tight contest against Vinesh.

Oksana Livach

After the monumental victory over Susaki, Vinesh Phogat rode on the momentum to beat eighth seed Oksana Livach from Ukraine in the quarter-final. Livach is a former World Championships bronze medalist (2018), and narrowly lost out on bronze in the 2024 European Wrestling Championships.

Much like Vinesh, Livach entered the quarter-final with great momentum, having won her Round of 16 match 10-0. However, Vinesh overpowered her opponent yet again, to seal her spot in the semi-final of the women’s 50kg freestyle event at Paris 2024.

Yusneylis Guzman Lopez

Guzman lost to Vinesh Phogat in semifinal but still returned home with the silver medal as she was promoted to the final  after Vinesh’s disqualification. She lost to Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA in the final. Guzman is a gold medallist at the Pan American Games and the Pan American Wrestling Championships. 

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Vinesh Phogat will play her semi-final match against Cuban wrestler Yusneylys Guzman, the reigning 50kg gold medalist in the Pan American Games, on Tuesday, August 6, at 10:15 PM IST tentatively.

File image of Vinesh Phogat© AFP

2008 Olympic bronze medalist boxer Vijender Singh has expressed his shock and disappointment after it was announced that wrestler Vinesh Phogat will not be given a Paris Olympics 2024 silver medal, despite her appeal. On Wednesday, Vinesh’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a joint silver medal was dismissed, with an operative order being announced two days before the extended deadline of August 16. Upon hearing the news, Vijender admitted that he had been expecting a silver medal announcement instead.

“I was waiting for when the silver medal will be announced,” Vijender told ANI. “Now that I’ve come to know of the news, it is one that saddens me. I am not happy with the decision,” he continued.

#WATCH | Delhi: On Vinesh Phogat’s application dismissed by CAS | Boxer Vijender Singh says, “This is a very sad and unfortunate thing for us…We could have won gold in the Olympics if she had made it through the finals. We are standing with Vinesh and will always support… pic.twitter.com/lU7f46gfGc

— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2024

Vinesh was disqualified from 50kg freestyle category at the Paris Olympics, after she weighed in 100gm more than the limit on the second day, thereby, not being allowed to participate in the final. The day prior, Vinesh had won three successive bouts to enter the gold medal clash.

Vijender had been one among several renowned athletes to stand beside Vinesh, and reiterated his solidarity. “This is a very unfortunate news for the athlete and for the nation, that we could’ve won a gold had this not happened,” he said. “I’d tweeted before that I’m standing alongside Vinesh, and I will continue to do so. Whatever her story is, I will be there alongside her,” he added.

Vinesh and her team had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to be granted a joint silver medal. She had been represented in the case by a team of French lawyers, as well as Indian lawyers led by the renowned Harish Salve.

A decision had been earlier expected by August 13, but the deadline had been extended to August 16. However, the operative order has come earlier.