Vinesh Phogat opens up on PM Modi’s call after Paris Olympics disqualification, says ‘I refused to speak’

Story highlights

The dust is yet to settle on the heartbreaking disqualification that Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat suffered at the Paris Olympics in August. In a shocking revelation on Wednesday (Oct 2) during the promotion campaign for the Assembly elections in Haryana, Phogat revealed that she had refused to speak to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She also confessed that it was an indirect call from the Indian officials on terms that the conversation would be recorded.

Phogat makes shocking revelation

“The call had come (from the PM) but I refused to speak. The call did not come directly to me but Indian officials who were there informed me that he (PM Modi) wanted to talk. I was ready. However, they put conditions — no one from my team would be present, while two people from their side would record the conversation for social media,” she said in an interview with The Lallantop.

Phogat was controversially disqualified during the Paris Olympics in the 50kg women’s category after being found overweight by 100 grams on the day of the final. The Indian wrestler had qualified for the gold medal match and would have scripted history had she won the big prize. However, her disqualification on August 11 came as a big blow to the nation’s hopes as India failed to win a single gold medal.

The 29-year-old then announced her decision to retire from the sport while an appeal was pending at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). The appeal was later rejected with Phogat returning empty-handed. It was during this period that Phogat refused to speak to PM Modi and showed her discontent having been at the centre of the wrestler’s protest in 2023.

Vinesh enters new ring of contest

Immediately after retiring from wrestling, Phogat was approached by the Indian National Congress (INC), the biggest opposition party in India, to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in the state of Haryana. She has been nominated from the Julana seat and will contest against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, India’s main ruling party) candidate Yogesh Bairagi, a former commercial pilot.