India’s woman wrestler Antim Panghal has been deported back to India alongside her staff due to a disciplinary breach during the Paris Olympics 2024.
“The Indian Olympic Association [IOA] has decided to fly wrestler Antim and her support staff back after a disciplinary breach was brought to IOA’s notice by the French authorities,” Indian media outlets quoted an official as saying.
The development comes a day after India’s Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the final for being overweight by 100 grammes.
Reports said that Antim Panghal went to the hotel where her coach Bhagat Singh and sparring partner Vikas were staying, instead of heading back to the village after her opening bout at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Read more: Goodbye wrestling: India’s Vinesh Phogat retires after Olympic disqualification
It is pertinent to mention that Panghal lost her opening bout to a Turkish woman wrestler.
“Antim [Panghal] asked her sister to go to the Games Village and come back with her belongings. Her sister was caught for impersonation and was taken to a police station to record her statement,” according to the IOA statement.
Additionally, the Indian wrestler’s team including Bhagat Singh and Vikas also had an altercation with a taxi driver when they were travelling back to the Olympic Village in an “inebriated state” and refused to pay the driver.
“If that was not enough, Antim’s personal support staff — Vikas and Bhagat — travelled in an inebriated state in a taxi and refused to pay the driver, who then called police,” Indian media outlets reported, citing an unnamed IOA official.
“We have left to fight fire. When contacted, Vikas flatly refused their involvement in such an incident,” the official said.
Earlier today, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling, a day after being disqualified from the women’s 50kg competition at the Paris Olympics for being overweight for the final.
World bronze medallist Phogat, 29, was in the public eye for months last year as part of a long-running protest against the then-chief of Indian wrestling when he was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal.
Phogat, who has won three Commonwealth Games gold medals, had been due to face Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal on Wednesday in Paris but was found to be 100 grams over the 50kg limit.
