An emotional Vinesh Phogat was given a hero’s welcome at the New Delhi airport as she returned from the Paris Olympics on Friday, August 16. Vinesh was greeted with garlands and taken on a ceremonial procession with police protection. 

Visuals from the airport and Delhi’s roads showed huge crowds waving the Indian flag and cheering for her. The wrestler, seated on top of a police jeep, could be seen crying and struggling with her emotions several times. By her side on the jeep was free-style wrestler Bajrang Punia. Visuals show him attempting to comfort Vinesh during what appears to be an overwhelming experience for her.

Last year, Bajrang had stood by Vinesh, Sakshi Malik, and other women wrestlers protesting against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of serial sexual harassment. 

Vinesh, who made history by defeating four-time world champion Yui Sasaki in the quarterfinal on her road to the finals, was disqualified from contesting for the gold medal match against US wrestler Sarah Hilbrendt on August 7. On the morning of the bout, she failed the second weigh-in test by a margin of 100 grams. She later appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports’ (CAS) for a joint silver medal, but her case was dismissed on August 14. 

Vinesh’s involvement in the protests against Brij Bhushan made her Olympic win a rallying point for women. Her win was seen as much a victory for survivors as it was for Indian sporting history. Her disqualification, the very next day, left many heartbroken. 

In a  three-page statement issued on August 16, Vinesh said, “During the wrestlers’ protest, I was fighting hard to protect the sanctity of women in India, the sanctity and values of our Indian flag. But when I look at the pictures of me with the Indian flag from May 28, 2023, it haunts me. It was my wish to have the Indian flag fly high this Olympics, to have a picture of the Indian flag with me that truly represents its value and restores its sanctity. I felt that by doing this, it will correctly reprimand what the flag went through and what wrestling went through. I really was hoping to show that to my fellow Indians (sic).”

While admitting that she does not know what the future holds, she added, “I am sure that I will continue to fight always for what I believe in and for the right thing.”