On Saturday, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur declined to comment on the raging dispute surrounding wrestler Bajrang Punia’s return of his Padma Shri.
On Saturday, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur declined to address the raging controversy surrounding wrestler Bajrang Punia’s return of his Padma Shri in opposition to Sanjay Singh’s (a supporter of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) nomination to the presidency of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Olympian Punia arrived at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and deliver a letter of protest; instead, she chose to leave the Padma Shri medallion on a pathway that was being blocked by police officers.
I’ve said enough for now. At the SAI center, at an event honoring renowned athletes and medal winners from the Asian Games, Thakur declared, “No more comments.”
But Thakur urged the former winners to step up and support the aspiring athletes to become recognized in international contests.
“In the Asian Games (held in Hangzhou) and the Asian Para Games, our athletes took home more than 100 medals. These are the stories that should be told,” Thakur stated.
“Before they departed (for Asian Games) I had asked them whether they would be able to breach the 100-medal mark and they expressed collective confidence, and they did it too.” Subsequently, the Minister requested that the previous winners contribute to maintaining the success in next events.
“We have triumphed in a number of significant competitions. In addition to winning the inaugural Thomas Cup, we had a great year in hockey, athletics, and other activities. In order to improve this endeavor going forward, the champions now need to make sure that they impart their knowledge and expertise to the up-and-coming competitors.”
