Wrestling
Antim Panghal incident at Paris Olympics: Has she been banned?
Responding to the media reports, the Indian Olympic Association said wrestler Antim Panghal has not been banned or sent back home.
Antim Panghal's Paris Olympics 2024 campaign ended in the first round where she lost to Turkiye's Zeynep Yetgil on August 7.
Recent reports claimed that Indian wrestler Antim Panghal faced a three-year ban by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after allegedly using her accreditation card to help her sister enter the athletes' village.
These reports suggested severe disciplinary action, including a three-year ban, awaiting Antim due to the embarrassment she caused to the Indian Olympic contingent in Paris.
Other reports began emerging that Antim Panghal and her support staff would be flown back to India following the incident at the Games village.
It was reported that Antim's sister attempted to enter the Olympic Village using Antim's accreditation. Upon discovering this, the authorities escalated the matter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
According to sources, her sister was caught impersonating Antim, leading to a police inquiry.
The IOA then, according to reports, decided to send Antim and her support staff back to India.
Clarification from IOA and Antim Panghal
The IOA has denied the reports of a ban on Antim Panghal.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the IOA clarified, "IOA refutes reports that a ban has been imposed on wrestler Antim. It requests media persons to please check with the IOA leadership before posting such reports.”
Antim Panghal also rubbished rumours.
"From yesterday, there are stories about my sister getting arrested and me getting arrested, but nothing like that happened. After my bout, I was ill, so I got permission from the IOA to go to the hotel with my sister. All my things were in the Olympic Village, so I gave my accreditation card to my sister, and she went there. They took her to the police station just to verify the accreditation card," Antim explained in a video posted by PTI.
She also denied the reports about IOA deciding to send her back to India immediately. "Once my bout was finished, I called SAI (Sports Authority of India) and told them that I was coming back. So my flight ticket was booked before all this happened," she added.
Antim also requested support from everyone in this difficult time. "I am already having a tough time after losing, please support me."
Despite the confusion, the critical takeaway is that Antim Panghal has not been banned by the IOA.
The incident has been a challenging and emotional experience for the 19-year-old wrestler, who suffered a first-round defeat on Wednesday.
