Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Former footballer Aditi Chauhan and Olympic gold-winning ex-hockey captain M M Somaiya will be the two observers from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry when Vinesh Phogat competes in the high-profile women’s wrestling trials for the Asian Games here on Saturday.
According to a well-placed source, Chauhan would be representing the IOA and Somaiya would be the observer from Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.
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The 31-year-old Phogat got the go ahead to appear in the trial from the Supreme Court on Friday.
She had been first permitted to fight by the Delhi High Court after challenging a suspension imposed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) citing procedural and disciplinary violations by her, including a missed dope test last year.
The WFI challenged the HC order in the top court, which too refused to stop Phogat.
“Today at this stage, the high court having passed the order, the hope and expectations have risen. To tell her to go back home and we can’t do anything, will not be proper. We are very bold in telling you this,” the bench told the counsel appearing for the WFI.
The Delhi HC had asked the ministry to appoint observers for the trials while chiding WFI for trying to prevent Phogat from competing.
Chauhan, a trailblazing former goalkeeper who played professionally in the UK with West Ham United, is currently the Program Officer for the IOA’s Athlete Commission (Safeguarding & National Olympic Academy), having been appointed to the role earlier this year.
She made 57 appearances for India before retiring.
Somaiya was a part of the 1980 Olympic gold-winning Indian hockey team and captained the side in the 1988 Seoul Games. Somaiya is also an Arjuna awardee.
Earlier this month, the WFI had declared Phogat ineligible to participate in domestic events till June 26, saying that she had still not completed the mandatory six-month notice period for a retired athlete’s return.
Phogat, however, had turned up at the National Open Ranking Tournament in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda only to return without competing. Her bitter feud with WFI dates back to 2023 when she led a street protest against the then federation Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
