Less than a week after announcing her return to wrestling, Vinesh Phogat on Sunday voiced her concerns on the venue of the upcoming Senior Open Ranking Tournament and even alerted the Indian government on her security.
She will feature in the women’s 57kg category in Gonda from May 10-12.
Taking to her social media, Vinesh said she fears competing in Gonda, the hometown of Wrestling Federation of India’s erstwhile President Brij Bhushan Sharan while voicing concern on potential biased officiating in her comeback event.
“The tournament is being organised at a place where his (Brij) influence is strong. Who will officiate which bout, how many points will be awarded, who will sit as mat chairman, everything can be controlled by him and his people,” Vinesh said.
“If any untoward incident happens to me, my team or supporters during the competition, the Indian government will be responsible,” she added.
In the video, Vinesh can also be heard making a shocking revelation, claiming she is one of the six female wrestlers, who was harassed by the former WFI chief. Referring to the Supreme Court’s guidelines on safeguarding the identity and dignity of victims, Vinesh said the current situation had forced her to come out in open.
“The Supreme Court guidelines say that the identity of any victim should not be revealed, because it concerns their dignity and honour. But today, due to certain circumstances, I want to tell you all something. I did not want to speak while the case is still pending, but I am one of those six victims who filed a complaint, and our testimonies are still ongoing,” Vinesh said.
“For a woman, competing in such a situation is difficult, and every athlete who has gone through such a situation can relate to this,” she added.
Vinesh along with other prominent wrestliers including Sakshi malik, Sangeeta Phogat, Bajrang Punia had staged protests in New Delhi in 2023 against Brij Bhushan.
She also accused the authorities of inaction, alleging that the government and the sports ministry were merely watching as spectators while giving Brij Bhushan a free hand.
Vinesh is returning to action almost 18 months after she decided to part ways from the sport following a heartbreak at the Paris Olympics. She embraced motherhood and joined Indian National Congress, winning the Julana constituency in October 2024.
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