Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and three-time former world champion Risako Kawai has come out in support of the top Indian wrestlers that have been protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh alleging sexual exploitation and harassment.
Retweeting a BBC News video on the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, with interviews of Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, Kawai wrote: “I hope it will be an environment where Indian athletes can practice with peace of mind.”
Kawai, who won the 57kg women’s freestyle gold in Tokyo, is the first high-profile international wrestler to acknowledge and come out in support of the protests that have been ongoing for a month.
インドの選手が安心して練習できる環境になりますように🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/osbc1ZDr1b
— 川井梨紗子 risako kinjo kawai (@risako_kawai) May 25, 2023
In the BBC video, the wrestlers detail the impact of their month-long ongoing protest on their training, in an important year with the Asian Games and the World Championships still pending. “(Ordinarily) at this time, we would be preparing to reach our peak performance with big events coming up. Personally, we are losing so much. We were performing at a good level, to leave that and sit here indefinitely has been difficult,” Vinesh Phogat said.
“If the protests were not happening, we would have probably been training abroad,” Bajrang added. “The entire country has their hopes on us to be able to win another Olympic medal for the country, and we have been trying to prepare for that.”
Both Bajrang and Vinesh are on the long list for the Asian Games, but have admitted that with the protests running indefinitely and their training stalled, even winning the trial, let alone an Asian medal, will be a tough ask.
The wrestlers have been adamant in demanding the federation president’s arrest, and have maintained that they will not leave the protest site at Jantar Mantar until Brijbhushan, also a BJP MP from the Kaiserganj district of Uttar Pradesh, is behind bars.
“Our country can push and move forward (in sports) only if athletes are treated fairly and with respect,” Vinesh said. “A sport does not just progress by giving money or facilities.”
The Delhi Police, meanwhile, have filed two FIRs – one pertaining to the complaints of a minor wrestler under the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act – against Brijbhushan. Investigations remain ongoing, and the wrestlers have even moved a magistrate court in New Delhi’s Rouse Avenue for a court-monitored probe, fearing the Delhi Police will not conduct an unbiased investigation given Brijbhushan’s political background.