Neeraj Chopra, Abhinav Bindra, Kapil Dev among Indian sporting icons lending their voices of support to the wrestlers’ cause

Eminent Indian sportspersons including Olympic gold medal winners Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra, World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev and two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen have offered their support and solidarity to the protesting wrestlers and asked for justice.

The ongoing wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its former president Brij Bhushan Singh has polarised reactions in the Indian sporting community.

While former athlete and India Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha gaslighted the wrestlers’ protest as indiscipline and for attacking the image of the country, and top cricketers remained silent, the likes of Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra expressed their displeasure and called for ‘quick action to ensure justice.’

Just a day after Usha’s statement caused outrage among sports fans in India because of its insensitivity, Chopra took to social media and said that ‘it hurts’ to see the wrestlers having to take to the streets in their search for justice.

He tweeted: "It hurts me to see our athletes on the streets demanding justice. They have worked hard to represent our great nation and make us proud. As a nation, we are responsible for safeguarding the integrity and dignity of every individual, athlete or not. What's happening should never happen.
"This is a sensitive issue, and must be dealt with in an impartial and transparent manner. Pertaining authorities must take quick action in order to ensure that justice is served."

In fact, Chopra is not the only Olympic gold medal winner to voice his issue regarding the matter. Legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra also tweeted his displeasure two days ago.

“As athletes, we train hard every day to represent our country on the international stage. It is deeply concerning to see our athletes finding it necessary to protest on the streets regarding the allegations of harassment in the Indian wrestling administration. My heart goes out to all those who have been affected.

“We must ensure that this issue is handled properly, with the athletes' concerns heard and addressed fairly and independently. This incident highlights the crucial need for a proper safeguarding mechanism that can prevent harassment and ensure justice for those affected. We must work towards creating a safe and secure environment for all athletes to thrive in,” said the Beijing Olympic 10m air rifle champion.

Meanwhile, the captain of India’s first World Cup winning team of 1983, Kapil Dev, also put up a story of the wrestlers on Instagram and asked the question, “Will they ever get justice?”

On Thursday, protesting wrestler Vinesh Phogat had actually question the deafening silence from the sporting community as a whole who seemed to turn a blind eye to their suffering. She pointed her question towards the sportstars in the country and why they were afraid to speak out against the system and show solidarity towards the wrestlers.

As a result of this, support for the wrestlers continued to pour in throughout Friday as athletes from across sporting disciplines, including the likes of retired tennis ace Sania Mirza, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, women's hockey great Rani Rampal and two-time reigning boxing world champion Nikhat Zareen came out to share the pain.