Vinesh Phogat Controversy: Just Coincidence or Karma?

 How Vinesh Phogat wronged Shivani Pawar

The girl in the photo is Shivani Pawar. You might not have seen her before because she wasn’t sitting at Jantar Mantar, nor was she covered by the media.

This 26-year-old is a Head Constable in the BSF. Shivani is also a farmer's daughter, hailing from a small village called Umred in MP.

Shivani is also a wrestler. Three years ago, at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships, she won a silver medal in the 50 kg weight category. In the same event, Anju won a bronze. Shivani was the first Indian wrestler to win a medal in this competition. She has also won a gold medal in the World Police Sports Championships and a bronze in the Asian Wrestling Championships.

Shivani is a promising wrestler with a bright future. But why didn’t she make it to the Paris Olympics?

In March, a trial competition was held in Patiala. In this competition, Vinesh Phogat lost to Anju in her usual 53 kg category. This is the same Anju mentioned earlier. After losing in her regular 53 kg category, Vinesh insisted on competing in the 50 kg trial as well.

Under pressure, the officials gave her permission. (Perhaps they feared accusations of rape or sexual harassment, or maybe they were threatened with the Jantar Mantar protests.) Vinesh won the 50 kg category. It would have been easier for a 53 kg wrestler to win in the 50 kg category.

In the final round, Vinesh won 10-6, meaning the opponent was definitely not weak. That opponent was Shivani. If Vinesh hadn’t competed in the 50 kg trial, Shivani would have won the qualifying round and been selected for the Olympics. But after losing in the 53 kg category, Vinesh intruded into the 50 kg category.

In fact, Vinesh wanted to be sent to the Olympics without participating in the trials. The association did not accept this unreasonable demand.

Vinesh was determined to go to the Olympics, and she had the backing of the opposition. So, she entered the 50 kg category. Vinesh’s intrusion into 50 kg cost Shivani her chance.

Even though Vinesh secured a spot in the Olympics through injustice, it was difficult for a 53 kg wrestler to maintain the 50 kg weight category for two consecutive days. Eventually, the truth came out on the weighing scale. Vinesh was disqualified in the 50 kg category because it wasn’t her original weight category. In Paris, there was no Jantar Mantar, nor were there Hindi journalists. Naturally, Vinesh had to accept her disqualification.

In this entire episode, Shivani was wronged. Shivani is also Indian. If she had gone to the Olympics and won a medal, that medal would have been credited to India.

Those who shout slogans like "Bharat ki Beti" (India’s daughter) will never speak up for Shivani because they won’t get a paycheck for it, nor will they get a chance to criticize Modi.

There is no sorrow over Vinesh’s disqualification because she entered through deceit. The sorrow is for the lost medal for India, and the nation’s honor being compromised. The deeper sorrow is for the injustice done to a young athlete in the dirty politics of elite athletes.

And those lamenting Vinesh’s disqualification are not sad because India lost a medal; they are upset because they lost an opportunity to target Modi.

Isn’t Shivani a female athlete? Or is she not Indian? Doesn’t she have the right to fair opportunities?

Vinesh did not enter the fray with a clean slate and deservedly so got disqualified. However, in the bargain she has not only undone herself but also unfairly deprived a deserving wrestler from contesting.

A thorough probe is a must. With such dirty politicking, India certainly cannot expect to have worthy medal winners.