Wrestling
Vinesh Phogat tweets ahead of Olympics — "Is it a crime to ask for a physiotherapist?"
The wrestler clarified in her tweet that the request for a physio to travel with the wrestling team at Tokyo Olympics was made long back.
Vinesh Phogat Tokyo Olympics (Source: Wrestling Federation of India)
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat tweeted on Thursday if it's a crime to ask for one physiotherapist for four wrestlers. The 26-year-old stressed the point that this was not a last-minute request, responding to a media report.
To put it in context, Vinesh is the same wrestler who was destined for a medal at the Rio Olympics but suffered a serious knee injury in the quarter-final stages, which ended her journey in 2016. The wrestler also pointed out that there are instances where one athlete is accompanied by multiple coaches & staff and questioned the overall balance of the system.
Accompanying Vinesh Phogat in the Indian women's wrestling team are Anshu Malik, Seema Bisla, and Sonam Malik. It would be important for the other three athletes as well to have a physiotherapist traveling with the team to ensure they are in top physical condition before their respective matches.
Vinesh Phogat would be starting her campaign on 5th August in the 53kg category, while Sonam Malik would be the first among the four at the Tokyo Olympics to grace the mat when she competes on 3rd August in the 62kg category.
With less than eleven days remaining before the first match of the women's wrestling team, one would hope that the issue is resolved as quickly as possible for the welfare of the athletes.