Plastic mats are nothing but injury mats: Mahavir Phogat

Dronacharya Awardee Mahavir Phogat – whose life was recently showcased on 70 mm – is really upset. Ever since he has learnt about the death of 19-year-old wrestler Vikas Balu Sashte, after his spinal cord was injured badly at the state-level selection trials at Pune, the wrestling guru confesses that he has been thinking about the need to change the entire system.In a heart-to-heart, he speaks about the urgent need to improve the amenities at the first level itself…
Better amenities for a better medal tally
The guru of medal winning Phogat sisters makes an emotional appeal to the authorities as he says, “If you want to get medals in Olympics, you have to set up support schools at district level where the government takes care of studies and training of the athletes. When we compare ourselves with the medals that America, England and China win, why don’t we compete with these countries when it comes to providing proper amenities to our athletes at the basic level? Why no attention is paid to the youngsters’ welfare at the district and state level? If attention was paid, this youngster wouldn’t have died in Pune. Sometimes, even the coaches don’t pay enough attention and that leads to such lethal accidents. Once a youngster dies, his entire family is devastated. And it is mostly children from poor families who come into wrestling, hockey, football etc.”
Do away with lethal products
The wrestling coach is angry about the fact that plastic mats were used during the trials in which Sashte lost his life. He goes on to add, “There is a huge chance of the players getting hurt on those mats. It is so easy for a wrestler to slip if he merely steps on his own sweat. Plastic mats are nothing but injury mats. They have to be done away with.”
Medal winners are soon forgotten
Phogat is forthright enough to add, “Youngsters who win medals in international tournaments are made heroes by the authorities, but after three months, nobody remembers them. This is the tragedy of our country! My niece Vinesh Phogat was badly hurt in Rio, but nobody came to see her or offered even a bit of sympathy to our family. It is good that everyone supported Sakshi Malik who had won the Olympic medal. But was it a sin if my girl was hurt, that not a single minister came to stand by us at that tough time?”
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