Tag: Athletes

  • Female wrestlers in India are protesting on roads, but why?

    Female wrestlers in India are protesting on roads, but why?

    Top female wrestlers in India are protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, an influential politician who has been accused of sexually harassing and intimidating female athletes, calling for him to be held responsible.

    Singh has been accused of harassing seven female wrestlers and one minor.

    Who is Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?

    Singh, who has been heading the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) since 2011, is a six-time member of parliament from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    No action against harassment:

    Following accusations of sexual harassments, a panel was formed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in January to investigate the matter. The Sports Minister of India, Anurag Singh Thakur, had stated that the investigation would be concluded within four weeks. Although the inquiry report was prepared in April, the conclusions were not disclosed to the public.

    Despite mounting pressure for his resignation as President of the WFI, Singh has chosen to disregard these demands He has refuted the accusations, stating that they are part of a scheme to tarnish his image.

    The wrestlers in India have claimed that the government has not acted quickly enough in response to allegations of sexual harassment, despite the sport ministry’s January announcement that it would investigate the matter. This complaint comes three months after the ministry’s statement.

    Singh was booked by the Delhi Police on April 28, but has escaped further action thus far.

    Background of female wrestlers in India:

    Wrestling in India is plagued by sexual harassment, with many wrestlers hailing from humble backgrounds in the northern state of Haryana, which can make them vulnerable to intimidation by powerful officials.

    This problem is not limited to wrestling, as other sports in India have also seen incidents of sexual harassment, including the national cycling team and the women’s under-17 football team. The Sports Authority of India received 30 complaints of sexual harassment in the past five years, according to the sports minister’s response to a parliamentary query.

  • Twitter reacts to PM asking athletes to aim for ‘platinum medals’

    Twitter reacts to PM asking athletes to aim for ‘platinum medals’

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met with athletes who won medals for the country in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 and the Islamic Solidarity Games.

    The ceremony took place at the PM House in Islamabad, where athletes were awarded cash prizes.

    Medalist athletes including Altaf-ur-Rehman, Nooh But, and Arshad Nadeem also attended the ceremony.

    “I hope the athletes who won bronze [medal] will receive silver or gold medals in the future, and the athletes who won gold medals will receive platinum medals,” PM stated at the occasion.

    Since no platinum medals are awarded at the Commonwealth and Islamic Solidarity Games, the PM’s remarks have sparked a meme frenzy on Twitter.

    Here are some of the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/rizviregee/status/1562823249196527616?s=21&t=Wq7tQQKG4TBOOjU4zidelw

    PM’s tweet:

    “Honoured to host our players & athletes who made the country proud by winning various medals in the Commonwealth Games.  Their hard work and devotion were exemplary. Today I also announced the revival of departmental sports, which was a long-standing demand,” the PM wrote in a tweet.

    Ban on departmental sports lifted

    The PM has also lifted the ban on departmental sports. “The ban was imposed by the previous government, asking all public departments, corporations, and autonomous bodies to stop their funding of sports teams in 30 different disciplines,” the tweet from the Prime Minister’s office read.

    “The decision has led thousands to be jobless from the positions of departmental sports. “After taking office, PM pledged to restore departmental sports with the goal of promoting healthy games among the youth,” it added.

    https://twitter.com/PMO_PK/status/1562789257756155905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1562789257756155905%7Ctwgr%5E9efbbc4b5877cecaf9cfb88529c710c5868603db%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthecurrent.pk%2F%3Fp%3D194013
  • Arshad Nadeem secures fifth position at World Athletics Championship

    Arshad Nadeem secures fifth position at World Athletics Championship

    Pakistani Olympian Arshad Nadeem has secured fifth place in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States.

    Arshad Nadeem threw at a distance of 86.16 meters in the final, which was his best throw of the season. He reached the final on Friday by throwing at a distance of 81.71m during his group B qualifying round to finish ninth overall.

    Neeraj Chopra of India won the silver medal with a throw of 88.13 meters.

    Arshad finished fifth in the javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 and received wide acclaim back home for his achievement with little resources at his disposal.

  • ‘Don’t use supplements’, Pakistan Olympic Association warns athletes

    The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has issued a warning to athletes against using sports supplements following Talha Talib’s positive doping test case, reports Samaa.

    Secretary POA Medical Commission, Dr Asad Abbas warned that such supplements could deteriorate the health of athletes, saying that consumption of these performance-enhancing supplements could lead to the death of athletes.

    Dr Abbas said: “Athletes should not use unfair means to win competitions as it could lead to a four-year ban. Performance-enhancing drugs are dangerous for a player’s health and could lead to death.”

    He also revealed that the Talha Talib case is not yet reached the Pakistan Olympic Association. Awareness against doping in Pakistan has also been started ahead of Common Wealth Games this year. He also warned to stay away from prohibited activities as it could defame the country.

    “Athletes in Pakistan should be careful about doping because such incidents bring the country’s name into disrepute while also ending their careers,” he concluded.