‘Blame system for Paris flop show’
The Indian wrestlers practiced with junior French wrestlers and the WFI blamed local organisers for not providing them good facilities for the team’s preparations
Ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat has said the “system” should also “admit to its fault” for India’s poor show at the World Championship in Paris, from where the country returned empty-handed.
In a statement on Twitter, Phogat said wrestlers are ready to accept responsibility for the debacle but also urged the “system” to do some soul searching for the sake of the sport.
“I will leave no stone unturned to rectify my mistakes but the system should also undergo course correction,” Vinesh wrote.
She however did not specify whether the “system” meant the Wrestling Federation of India, the sports ministry or the Sports Authority of India.
The Indian squad trained at a local club in Boulevard de Bercy borough, situated at the border of France and Germany instead of Paris.
The wrestlers practiced with junior French wrestlers and the WFI blamed local organisers for not providing them good facilities for the team’s preparations.
She stated that for the past one year, the national team is in need of a foreign coach but nothing has happened on that front.
“The Indian wrestling team badly needs a foreign coach and a lot has been said and written over the past one year but there is no progress on that front. We desperately need foreign exposure trips but I guess for the next one year, we will have to train in India,” she wrote on the micro-blogging site.
Phogat also expressed her displeasure at the static nature of the “system” even after a lot of deliberations post the Olympics.
“There was lot of talks post Rio Olympics that our system needs to change. Did anything happen? You guys can tell me better,” she added, after suffering a careerthreatening knee injury during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Phogat warned the Paris debacle would be often be repeated if things does not change.
“If we are not ready to accept that there is a problem that we need to tackle, what happened in Paris last week would happen once again.”