Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has put her career on the line to fight against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
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Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has put her career on the line to fight against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Despite receiving approval from the Sports Ministry for an 11-day training stint in Poland, Vinesh chose to stay at the Sports Authority of India center in Sonepat to take on the WFI. Vinesh’s fight has been mentally taxing, but she’s determined to see it through for the betterment of sports in India. On January 18, 2023, elite wrestlers from India, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik led the protest against the Wrestling Federation of India’s president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh with charges of sexual misconduct, harassment, and mental torture.
Vinesh Phogat has been outspoken about her issues with mental health and the bullying she has experienced from the Federation. She is a fighter who feels that changing the system requires going up against it in order to succeed. She told ESPN, “Changes can be made only if you make sacrifices, you can’t just sit at home and hope for change.”
Vinesh keeps a positive attitude and the will to challenge the system despite all the uncertainties consuming the wrestling community. She hopes to see a shift in athletes’ attitudes so they may confront people in authority and call their wrongdoings to account. She further stated, “If all the athletes in the country come together, then the system will have to support us. Athletes have let go of the fear and taken the step to come forward. You need to leave your sport and look at the bigger picture of sports in India.”
Vinesh is fighting not only for herself but also for all athletes who experience the same problems. She has been gaining support from other wrestlers who have come forward to discuss their interactions with the WFI chief and the harassment they have experienced. “So many women wrestlers have sat me down and told me the kind of harassment they had to undergo. But they cannot come forward and talk about it because then they will be treated in the worst possible manner. How do you expect them to come forward when they are the ones who will be targeted? That’s how the system works,” she said.
Although Vinesh’s battle with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been mentally draining, she won’t give up. She’s determined to see it through for the betterment of sports in India. “As athletes, there’s only so much we can do, but we can always push right? Then we will have the satisfaction that we did something good for sports. Ji jaan lagake karenge, jitna hona hai ho jaega [we’ll give it our all, whatever happens, happens],” she says.