'Vinesh Should Have Apologised To Nation'

Olympic medalist Yogeshwar Dutt has criticised Vinesh Phogat's handling of her disqualification at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Yogeshwar, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, believes that Vinesh should have taken responsibility for her actions rather than blaming external factors.

Speaking at the Panchayat AajTak Haryana event, Yogeshwar expressed disappointment with her decision to spread conspiracy theories about her disqualification.

Yogeshwar argued that Vinesh should have apologised to the nation for her mistake, as he would have done in a similar situation.

'If we speak just about the Olympics, despite costing India a medal, a false perception was created that something wrong happened to her. If I was in Vinesh's place, I would've apologised to the country,' he added.

Yogeshwar's comments came in response to Vinesh's statement against the Indian Olympic Association and its president, P T Usha, for failing to provide adequate legal support during her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Vinesh stated that the government and the IOA should have taken a more proactive role in her case, but senior lawyer Harish Salve countered these claims, stating that there were coordination issues among the legal teams involved and that Vinesh herself chose not to pursue further legal action.

Vinesh, who announced her retirement from wrestling, joined the Congress on September 6, 2024 and is a candidate in the Haryana assembly election.