Fearless Vinesh, Sakshi look for a level playing field

A sports conclave, more often than not, is not exactly known for plain-speaking. But when Vinesh Phogat, the decorated Indian wrestler in the eye of the storm, says that she has put her career and life on the line by speaking against a ‘powerful person’ (read: the president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP), then it does make a difference.

The Trailblazers Conclave, hosted by Boria Majumder’s Revsportz on Sunday, was different on many counts. In a possible first, it brought together a constellation of some of India’s biggest stars – past and present – solely in Olympic sport and evoked several highs in a tightly packed day of nine sessions.

If the Demand for a level playing field, which featured a fiery Vinesh, Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik, Mirabai Chanu, Rani Rampal and Anju Bobby George struck a strong emotional chord, there were several candid soundbytes dotting the day. The Winning Mantra, which hooked up with India’s Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and Nikhat Zareen, the world champion boxer, brought some delightful lines from them.

Chopra, speaking from his training base in South Africa, said he would like to ‘put an end’ to all the clamour about him achieving the 90-metres mark this year itself and then set the next target. Zareen, who became the toast of the nation when she became a world champion in her weight category and followed it up with a Commonwealth Games gold last year, said she wanted to buck the trend of only men winning the Olympics gold for India (be it the hockey teams or yore or shooter Abhinav Bindra & Chopra) by becoming the first woman athlete to do so.

 However, there were no prizes for guessing that the no-holds-barred take of Vinesh and Sakshi, in the light of the top Indian wrestlers’ stand-off with the establishment – would end grabbing the most eyeballs. Vinesh, a gold medallist in Asian Games and CWG, brushed aside the charges of indiscipline against her after her failure to do justice to her reputation of being a medal hopeful.

‘’I often wonder that may be, we should have spoken about it (allegations of sexual harassment) earlier but we are told to give evidence about it. All athletes have a sell-by date and I am no exception, but all we want to leave the sport a better place for the next generation of wrestlers,’’ Vinesh said.

 ‘’I often wonder that may be, we should have spoken about it (allegations of sexual harassment) earlier but we are told to give evidence about it. All athletes have a sell-by date and I am no exception, but all we want to leave the sport a better place for the next generation of wrestlers,’’ Vinesh said.

 Sakshi, who alongwith P.V.Sindhu were the only saving grace for India in Rio 2016 with a bronze, revealed how she received moral support from husband-wrestler Satyawart Kadian. ‘’He told me to go ahead and sit in the dharna, I am with you. We will certainly win this battle,’’ she said.

 If the all-time high haul of seven medals in Tokyo 2021 had raised the expectations of Indian fans for Paris 2024, it will be no different in the Paralympics. The para-athletes of the country led a silent revolution when they ended with an unprecedented 19-medal haul in Tokyo, and two of their leading exponents – Rajiv Khel Ratna awardee Deepa Malik and Devendra Jhajharia – held forth on the virtues of never giving up.

  The opening session was kicked by Bindra, Pulella Gopichand – the man who played a key role in India’s badminton medals in last three Olympics and Chanu.