Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, in letter to PM Modi, says returning Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards

In suspending the WFI, the government cited its “hasty announcement” of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals “without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers” for preparations.

Hours after getting elected as WFI president on December 21, Sanjay Singh announced that age group national championships will be held from December 28 in Gonda, UP.

In her letter to PM Modi, Vinesh Phogat said: “Sakshi Malik has quit wrestling and Bajrang Punia has returned his Padma Shri. The whole country knows why the players who won Olympic medals for the country were forced to do all this. I remember the year 2016, when Sakshi Malik won a medal in the Olympics, your government made her the brand ambassador of “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”. When this was announced, all the women players of the country were happy and were sending congratulatory messages to each other. Today, ever since Sakshi had to leave wrestling, I am remembering that year 2016 again and again. Are we female players made only to appear on government advertisements?”

“What the women wrestlers have experienced in the last few years must have made one understand how suffocated we are living. When we won medals for the country, the whole country considered us proud. Now when we raised our voice for our justice, we are being called traitors. Prime Minister, I want to ask you whether we are traitors? I don’t know under what condition Bajrang would have decided to return his Padma Shri. I too have started feeling disgusted with my awards,” she said.