Pictures of me with Indian flag on May 28 (protest) still haunt me; wished to have flag fly high this Olympics: Vinesh Phogat | Sport-others News
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat posted a long 3-page letter on her Twitter account, predominately thanking her team after her Olympics heartbreak as well as offering a slight glimpse of what the athlete and her team went through on the night before the official weigh-in after which she got disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal round due to being 100 gms overweight.
In the letter, Phogat talked about how the image of her with the Indian flag on May 28, 2023 still haunted here. The date carries significance because it was on this day when the wrestlers who were protesting against sexual misconduct allegations the-then outgoing Wrestling Federation of India Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, were manhandled and detained the police while marching towards the inauguration of the new Parliament building in Delhi.
Phogat also mentions in the letter on Friday that It was her wish to have the Indian flag fly high this Olympics.
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— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 16, 2024
“…During the wrestlers protest I was fighting hard to protect the sanctity of women in India, the sanctity and values of our Indian flag. But when I look at the pictures of me with the Indian flag from 28th May 2023, it haunts me. It was my wish to have the Indian flag fly high this Olympics, to have a picture of the Indian flag with me that truly represents its value and restores its sanctity. I really was hoping to show that to my fellow Indians. There is so much more to say and so much more to tell but words will never be enough and maybe I will speak again when the time feels right,” she said.
Vinesh keeps door open on competing in future
After the Olympics weigh-in debacle, the wrestler had announced that she would be retiring but on the letter on Friday, she hinted that she hasn’t completely shut the door on competing further.
“Maybe under different circumstances, I could see myself playing till 2032, because the fight in me and wrestling in me will always be there. I can’t predict what the future holds for me, and what awaits me in this journey next, but I am sure that I will continue to fight always for what I believe in and for the right thing,” she said.
