Paris 2024 Olympics: We must protest strongly about Vinesh Phogat being disqualified, says Sunil Gavaskar

Former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar urged the Indian Olympic Association to lodge a strong protest against wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from Paris Olympics.

Former India men’s cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar (left) and Bollywood actor (right) Siddharth Malhotra during the launch of TVS Apache Spartan India Race in Mumbai on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: SHAYAN ACHARYA

As wrestler Vinesh Phogat crashed out of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday after failing to make weight for the women’s 50kg gold medal bout, former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar called the whole episode ‘unfortunate’.

“It’s unfortunate and unfair. I do hope that the authorities will take notice of it, take a strong response to this because this is not just the initial round. We’re talking about the gold medal round and therefore, this cannot and should not be taken lying down by anybody in India — whether it’s the Indian Olympic Association or the government of India,” Gavaskar said on the sidelines of the launch of TVS Apache Spartan Race India.

Backing Vinesh, who earlier created history by ending Yui Susaki’s 82-0 streak en route to the Olympic final, Gavaskar added, “We actually must be protesting very, very strongly about this whole issue…”

READ | Vinesh Phogat disqualified from final for being little over 100 grams overweight on morning of competition

The former India captain also agreed that the whole issue can have an adverse effect on the Indian contingent in the remainder of the Games. “It can be disheartening for the whole contingent. This is where the sports persons tend to lift themselves up. This is the challenge to lift yourself over and above this and get into a winning situation. That’s what sport is all about, sport is not easy - be it cricket or football or other disciplines, it’s about overcoming the obstacles that come your way,” Gavaskar said, adding: “That’s where our athletes need to get up and win medals…”

Despite some good shows in a few disciplines, India has managed to claim only three bronze medals so far, and being a badminton fan himself, Gavaskar was disappointed to see young shuttler Lakshya Sen bowing out despite a glittery start in both the semifinal against Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen as well as the bronze medal match against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia.

“I was a bit disappointed because on both days, Lakshya had taken the lead but could not sustain it. We need to look at whether it’s more of a mental issue, even Prakash (Padukone) said he did not know why Lakshya lost,” Gavaskar said.

“Sometimes, it happens to all of us in our everyday life where you lose the train of thought. Even while playing, you can lose that trend of thought and in a fast game like badminton, if you lose for a fraction of section, the opponent fights back,” Gavaskar said, hoping that the youngster learns from his mistakes and emerges as a serious gold medal contender in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.