Yogeshwar Dutt, Indian Olympic grappler and 2012 Olympics bronze medallist, has strongly objected to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to exclude the sport from the 2020 event.
Indian Olympic wrestlers and winners have termed the decision as a great issue of concern for the future of the sport and showed their bitterness over the matter with strong remarks.
“The decision of banning wrestling matters a lot not only for me but for all wrestlers around the world. Nothing matters to us more than wrestling. If there is no wrestling then even Olympics is not there for us”, said Dutt.
Dutt added that he would return his Olympic medals if the decision of IOC is not altered.
“If wrestling is banned from Olympics, then we will return the trophies we secured. There was a wrestler from Phulkariya who did the same.
“What’s the use of keeping these trophies if wrestling is banned from the Olympics. We received the accolades for wrestling and what will we do with them if the sport is banned”, said Dutt.
This ancient sport has helped the country’s grapplers to make a mark and bring India on the global sporting map. India has won two medals in wrestling at the Olympic 2012 Sushil Kumar won the silver whilst Yogeshwar Dutt won the bronze.
The Indian Government termed the IOC decision "most unfortunate and shocking".
The authorities plan to raise the issue with the IOC, hoping that the sport could find its way back as a core Olympic discipline.
Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters
