Haryana govt to felicitate Vinesh Phogat as ‘medalist’: ‘Champion for us…’
Vinesh Phogat bid adieu to her international wrestling career, a day after being disqualified from the Olympics.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday said that the state will felicitate wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who retired after being disqualified from the Olympics, as a medallist. Calling her a “champion”, the chief minister said that all the respect and rewards that the Haryana government gives to an Olympic silver medalist will be given to Phogat.
“Our brave daughter of Haryana, Vinesh Phogat, performed brilliantly and entered the finals of the Olympics. Due to some reasons, she may not have been able to play the final of the Olympics but she is a champion for all of us…Our government has decided that Vinesh Phogat will be welcomed and felicitated like a medalist. All the respect, rewards and facilities that the Haryana government gives to the Olympic silver medalist will be gratefully given to Vinesh Phogat as well,” CM Saini wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), in Hindi.
Also read: 'Vinesh, you didn't lose but you have been defeated': Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik after wrestler's retirement
He added, “We are proud of you Vinesh!”
Notably, according to its sports policy, the Haryana government offers ₹six crore to gold medallists in the Olympic Games, ₹four crore to silver medallists and ₹2.5 crore to bronze medal winners.
Vinesh Phogat announces resignation
On Tuesday night, Phogat had advanced to the gold medal bout by defeating Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals and was set to compete against the United States' Sarah Ann Hildebrandt. However, she was disqualified on Wednesday after being found 100 grams overweight in the mandatory weigh-in.
Earlier on the day, Phogat bid adieu to her international wrestling career, saying she did not have the strength to continue.
Announcing her decision to retire from wrestling on social media, she wrote: “Mother wrestling won against me, I lost... Your dreams and my courage are shattered. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will forever be indebted to all of you. Please forgive (me).”