Vinesh Phogat: Congress politician slams IOA chief PT Usha for hospital bed picture, says legend ‘gave no support’

Pictures of PT Usha meeting wrestler Vinesh Phogat immediately after the latter was hospitalised following her disqualification from the Olympics surfaced

Vinesh Phogat: Indian Olympics Association President PT Usha meets wrestler Vinesh Phogat after the latter was hospitalised following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics as she was found overweight ahead of her women's 50kg final match, in Paris. (PTI)

Indian wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat: During the 2024 Paris Olympics Vinesh Phogat was guaranteed to win a medal for the country before she was disqualified from the competition being 100 grams overweight in the 50 Kg category for the final. The 29-year-old in the local news channel slammed IOA chief PT Usha claiming she did not support her at the time.

“I don’t know what support I got there,” Vinesh said in a local news channel. “PT Usha Madam visited me at the hospital. One photo was clicked…As you said, in politics a lot happens behind closed doors. Similarly, politics happened there (in Paris) as well. That’s why I was heartbroken. Otherwise, many people are saying ‘Don’t leave wrestling’. For what should I continue? There is politics everywhere.”

“You are on a hospital bed, where you don’t know what’s happening in life outside, you are going through one of the worst phases of your life. At that place, to show everyone you are standing with me, aap bina bataye photo kheench rahe ho, fir social media pe daal ke bol rahe ho hum saath mein khade hain (clicked a photo without telling me and then putting it on social media to say you are standing with me). “That’s not how you show support (pretending to). What was it more than (posturing)!”

Story continues below this ad

Wrestling beat me

“Mother, wrestling beat me, I lost. Your dream and my courage are all broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be in your debt,” Vinesh wrote on her X account announcing her retirement.

Vinesh has also resigned from the Indian Railways citing personal reasons and joined the Congress ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections alongside Bajrang Punia. Phogat said that the fight against the former BJP MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will continue and stated that all parties stood with the wrestlers during the protest against Singh except the BJP during interaction with the press.