WFI obtains accreditation of Vinesh Phogat’s coach and physio for Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers 2024
Days after Vinesh Phogat made massive allegations on WFI, she has now received accreditation cards for her coach and physio, the WFI president confirmed to PTI.
Much to the relief of the Indian wrestler, both the coach and the physio will be joining Vinesh Phogat in the upcoming Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers 2024.
“We had put in a special request with the organisers to allow access to Vinesh’s coach and physio in the competition as it will make the athlete comfortable and they give them accreditation,” Singh told PTI.
Vinesh Phogat will be eying to secure an Olympic quota in the upcoming Asian Wrestling qualifiers 2024. She will be competing in the 50kg weight division category in the event.
“They may mix something in my water and make me drink it during my match” - Vinesh Phogat
For the unversed, the controversy began after Vinesh Phogat alleged that the Wrestling Federation of India was trying to stop her from participating in the Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh Phogat shared her concern on ‘X’, fearing that the WFI might conspire to trap her in doping.
"Brij Bhushan and his dummy Sanjay Singh are trying in every way to stop me from playing in the Olympics. All the coaches who have been appointed with the team are the favorites of Brij Bhushan and his team, so it cannot be denied that they may mix something in my water and make me drink it during my match? "If I say that there could be a conspiracy to trap me in doping, then it will not be wrong," Phogat said in a lengthy post on her 'X' account.
In the same post, the Indian wrestler also revealed that neither her coach nor her physio received the accreditation for the Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers.
"The Asian Olympic qualifying tournament is going to start on 19th April. For the past one month, I have been requesting the Government of India (SAI, TOPS) for the accreditation of my coach and physio. Without accreditation, it is not possible for my coach and physio to accompany me to the competition are arena. But despite repeated requests, I am not getting any concrete answer from anywhere. No one is ready to help. Will the future of players always be played like this?” Phogat wrote on ‘X’.
Meanwhile, the Wrestling Federation of India announced the full list of wrestlers competing at the Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers 2024. Vinesh Phogat and Deepak Punia will spearhead a 17-member Indian contingent at the event.
India will have representations in 17 out of 18 weight division categories, with the exception being the women’s 53kg weight division.