Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra vows to continue supporting Vinesh Phogat amid suspension row

India's 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra on Sunday came out in support of 'temporarily suspended' Vinesh Phogat and shared his picture with the 26-year-old wrestler. Recently, Vinesh, who exited from the Tokyo Games following her shocking quarterfinal defeat, was suspended by the WFI for not staying and training with her Indian teammates and for sporting the name of her personal sponsor on her singlet instead of the official sponsor of the Indian contingent. Following her suspension, Vinesh Phogat broke her silence and revealed the actual reason behind her decision to not train with the Indian contingent initially. 

Neeraj Chopra extends support to Vinesh Phogat

Neeraj Chopra took to Twitter and extended his support to the 26-year-old wrestler stating that every athlete steps onto the field with the sole cause to win medals for India and Vinesh Phogat is one of the best athletes of India who has made the country proud on various occasions. "We are all proud of you and will continue to support you through the next phase of your career."

Recently, Vinesh Phogat had slammed fellow athletes who did not ask 'what went wrong?' but told her what she did wrong. 

Vinesh Phogat on not practising with Indian Contingent

On the report of not practising with the Indian contingent, Vinesh Phogat recently revealed that she contracted COVID in August 2020 following that she cannot digest any protein. Again, when Phogat came back from Kazakhstan after Asian Championships, she fell sick again. Phogat further revealed that she had contracted COVID a second time, however, she flew to Bulgaria after recovering from it. Then her family members tested positive for COVID after a few days back at the home. 

"When these things have happened, why will I stay with the Indian team? They were tested everyday for seven days. I wasn’t. What if I got it on the flight and infected them?," said Vinesh Phogat.  

Vinesh Phogat sends apology to WFI

Vinesh Phogat on Saturday sent her apology to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which had barred her from competitions on the grounds of indiscipline during the Tokyo Olympics. Despite her apology to the WFI, Vinesh Phogat might not get the nod of the federation to compete in the upcoming World Championship event.  

As per a PTI report, the 26-year-old wrestler on Friday replied to the notice sent to her by the WFI. The report further stated that the WFI is not pleased with the way private sports NGOs like OGQ and JSW, who sponsor many Indian athletes, are handling the Indian wrestlers as it feels they are "spoiling" them. Vinesh is supported by OGQ, while Bajrang Punia gets support from JSW.

(Image Credits: AP)