Phogat’s Parisienne Paradox

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s travails at the Paris Olympics may have been a defeat for her, but a victory for just about everyone else.

The national focus on her disqualification for being overweight before the final 50 kg category bout has fortuitously served as a diversion for the powers that be, away from the humiliating performance on sport’s biggest global stage.

It takes attention away from the fact that all those at the high table of super powers were at the top in the table of medals winners.??

That India was way behind the performance of even middle powers like Australia makes Phogat’s fall a welcome distraction from the nation’s challenges, that include a faltering economy, setbacks in neighbourhood security and diplomacy, a visible, crumbling of domestic infrastructure from roads to bridges to parts of an international airport during heavy rains.

In the end it appears Phogat in Paris was a ‘win-win’ for everyone, and perhaps even herself.

The overwhelming sympathy of the people of India to her plight pushed into the murky background the shenanigans at the national trials to select the wrestling team for Paris.

Lost in the outpouring of grief over Phogat is the fact she was allowed to compete in two weight categories to get her into the Olympics at all cost, as well as the inability of a nation’s governing authorities to clean up India’s Wrestling Federation of its questionable functioning following credible reports of the appalling treatment of female wrestlers — the charges include sexual harassment — and refusal to purge itself of politically powerful leaders. Furthermore, attention has been diverted from any attempt to seek accountability from the more than 100 officials accompanying the actual sportspersons to Paris. Overshadowing all if this is India’s lack of credibility in world sport due?? to a tycoon’s mainly socialite wife being India’s delegate at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and an inarticulate former athlete heading the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

It was a win for the IOC too, with the organisation and its head, Thomas Bach, seizing the opportunity to appear strong upholders of the rules of sport. Bach asserted in his own opinion on the sanctity of rules in refusing in to condone Phogat’s 100 gms over the stipulated weight.

This from a man and an organisation that has bent over backwards to accommodate, nay forgive, serious transgressions by athletes from the super power nations, and banning Russia from the Olympics while accommodating those carrying out bombings of civilian populations.

The Phogat saga also takes away focus on Australia finishing with 18 gold medals, from a population of just over 25 million. New Zealand, with 10 gold medals, has 5.3 million people. Slovenia, with two gold medals from a population of 2.1 million, Ireland, with four golds from its 5.28 million, and the Netherlands, with 15 golds from a 17.97 million population all out us to shame.

These statistics paint a grim picture of our massive failure.

But the debacle will soon be forgotten in the wake of successes in numerous tournaments around the world, especially in shooting and archery.?

It is noteworthy that both these sporting disciplines require standing absolutely still. This is a good fit for Indian sport, stationary over decades in its delusions of grandeur, nurtured and sustained by incompetent sports authorities and an amoral media.