Chandigarh, April 12 Haryana Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam on Saturday stated that wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat was offered a cash reward, a land allotment, and a government job, as per the state's sports policy, however, she only opted for the first two.
He added that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had fulfilled his commitment to honour Phogat despite her disqualification at the Paris Olympics.
Speaking to IANS, Gautam said, "The Chief Minister had promised that Phogat would be honoured like a silver medalist, and he fulfilled his promise. We offered three things -- a cash prize, a government job and a Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) plot. She only chose the cash prize and plot."
The Haryana government had extended Phogat benefits equivalent to those awarded to Olympic silver medallists despite her disqualification from the women's 50kg final due to a marginal weight issue that created a major controversy in the sporting world.
The Haryana Cabinet had decided to treat her performance as exceptional, considering her advancement to the final.
Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympic final, although her campaign ended abruptly when she was controversially ruled out of the gold medal bout after failing her second weigh-in.
The incident, which drew both sympathy and criticism, marked the end of her Olympic journey, with Phogat later announcing her retirement.
Acknowledging the disqualification as a procedural issue, CM Saini had called Phogat "Haryana's pride" and assured her that her honour would not be diminished due to the unfortunate outcome in Paris.
While the state government has stood firmly by Phogat, the Opposition accused the BJP-led administration of politicising the matter and failing to support her adequately during the Olympics.
"Politics should not be done in sports. The Chief Minister fulfilled his promise by awarding the silver medalist benefits to Phogat. He has proved that he fulfils what he says," Gautam said.
Phogat, meanwhile, revealed her plans to use the Rs 4 crore cash award to establish a world-class wrestling training institute for young athletes.
The initiative, she said, will be a tribute to the sport that brought her national and international acclaim and will help nurture the next generation of wrestlers from Haryana and beyond.
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