'You Forgot Your Uncle Mahavir': Vinesh Phogat's Brother-In-Law Reacts To Her Post After CAS Dismisses Appeal Over Paris Olympics Disqualification

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat released a three-page statement on her social media handle after the Court of Arbitration for Sports dismissed her petition over her disqualification from the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024.

Phogat appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports for the joint silver medal after getting disqualified from the gold medal match as she weighed over 100 grams than the permissible limit of 50kg, her weight category in wrestling at the Paris Summer Games. The CAS accepted her petition for the hearing.

After the judgement on her petition was delayed thrice, the CAS ultimately dismissed her appeal by upholding International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling rules on weight in wrestling.

Following the dismissal of her petition, Vinesh Phogat released a statement, where she recalled her life story and wrestling journey while emphasising the fightback and struggles she had to go through in order to play the sport at the highest level.

Vinesh Phogat thanked the support staff and coaches for their unwavering support throughout their campaign at the Paris Olympics. The 29-year-old feels that she can play till 2032, hinting at representing India at the 2026 and 2032 Olympics.

Vinesh Phogat's statement received a lot of praise and appreciation, but her brother-in-law Pawan Kumar Saroha, husband of Geeta Phogat, is slightly unhappy as he feels that Vinesh missed out on mentioning an important person.

In the comment section, Pawan Kumar Saroha reminded Vinesh Phogat of her uncle Mahavir Phogat's contribution to her wrestling career.

"Vinesh, aapne bahut hi badhiya likha hai, lekin shayad aaj aap apne tauji Mahavir Phogat ko bhool gaye hain. Jinhone aapki kushti zindagi ko shuru kiya tha. Bhagwan aapko shuddh buddhi de." Pawan wrote.

(Vinesh, you have written very well, but perhaps today you forgot your uncle Mahavir Phogat, who started your wrestling journey. May God grant you pure wisdom.)

Mahavir Singh Phogat is a former Indian wrestler and is the father of Geeta and Babita, who are cousins of Vinesh Phogat. Mahavir took care of Vinesh and taught her wrestling after her father passed away at a young age.

Under the tutelage of Mahavir Phogat, Vinesh learned the skills and techniques of wrestling, which helped her become one of the top female wrestlers alongside her cousins Geeta and Babita Phogat. Mahavir played a crucial in role in wrestling career of Vinesh Phogat, who went on to represent India in three Olympics, clinch three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships.

Vinesh Phogat's journey at Paris Olympics 2024

Vinesh Phogat was one of the medal hopefuls for India at the Paris Olympcis and was raring to win a medal after failing to win one in previous two editions of the Olympics.

Vinesh Phogat kicked off her campaign with a win over reigning Olympic and World no.1 Yui Susaki of Japan in pre-quarters and qualified for the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Vinesh registered 7-5 win over Oksana Livach of Ukraine, which helped her book a berth for the semifinal clash against Yusneylys Guzman, who she defeated 5-0.

After Vinesh Phogat disqualified from the gold medal match, her semifinal opponent Yusneylys Guzman automatically qualified for the final but lost to Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States of America.