Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat returned her Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Award. She wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concerns about the challenges faced by female athletes and questioning if they are only valued for government ads.
Phogat announced to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the government on 26 December 2023. She shared the post on social media and wrote, ‘I am returning my Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjun Award. Many thanks to the Almighty for putting me in this situation.' Vinesh Phogat has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. She also shared the letter on micro blogging site X.
In her letter, Vinesh reminded the PM about Sakshi Malik, who became a symbol for ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' after her Olympic win. She pointed out the sadness when athletes like Sakshi had to quit sports. Vinesh, calling herself the PM's daughter, shared the tough times she has faced over the past year.
She talked about dreams fading away and highlighted the difference between the idealized life in government ads and the reality for female wrestlers. Vinesh, however, emphasized that she doesn't mind the ads but wants the government to do more.
Vinesh shed light on the challenging lives of women wrestlers, quite different from the glamorous image portrayed in ads. She requested the PM to take just five minutes to understand the difficulties faced by female athletes. She brought up an incident where a person openly admitted to making women wrestlers uncomfortable, causing some to quit. Vinesh urged the PM to address this serious issue and look beyond the surface of cheerful advertisements.
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