Vinesh Phogat blasts PT Usha, IOA Chief, accusing her of clicking a photo on a hospital bed

The athlete said that PT Usha clicked her photo without her consent while in the hospital during the Paris Olympics.

Indian professional female wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified for being “overweight” by 100 gm before competing for the gold medal in the 50kg freestyle wrestling category finals at the Paris Olympics 2024, has now blasted IOA Chief, PT Usha, accusing her of clicking her photo when she was in hospital during the Paris Olympics.

Vinesh Phogat launches a verbal attack on PT Usha.

Vinesh Phogat accused Indian Olympics Association (IOA) President PT Usha of clicking her photographs while she was in a hospital bed during the Paris Olympics and politicizing the matter without offering much help. A photograph of the two meetings was shared on social media when the incident of her disqualification happened.

“Got no real support.”

Vinesh Phogat said that she got no real support from IOA, and the picture that went viral from the hospital was taken without her consent. She told a local news channel, “You are on a hospital bed, where you don’t know what’s happening in life outside; you are going through one of the worst phases of your life. At that place, to show everyone you are standing with me, you clicked a photo without telling me and then put it on social media to say you are standing with me). That’s not how you show support. What was it more than (posturing)!”

“I was heartbroken.”

She continued, “I don’t know what support I got there. PT Usha Madam visited me at the hospital. One photo was clicked… Like you said, in politics a lot happens behind closed doors. Similarly, politics happened there (in Paris) as well. That’s why I was heartbroken. Otherwise a lot of people are saying ‘don’t leave wrestling’. For what should I continue! There is politics everywhere.”