Athletes shouldn’t be allowed to question our government, given the number of benefits they have access to
Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik (left) and other wrestlers during their protest against the then-president of the Wrestling Federation of India, whom they accused of sexual harassment, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi last year. Pic/X
I was saddened to hear about Olympic Bronze medallist Sakshi Malik announcing her retirement on a public forum. Why were there so many cameras, I asked myself, and why couldn’t she resign in private without calling for a press conference? Apparently, she was compelled to do this because no action had been taken against a certain Wrestling Federation of India chief accused of sexually harassing wrestlers. Was this reason enough, I wondered. Why retire just because the government is busy with more important things like renaming cities? Can sexual assault really be defined as a problem in a country where marital rape is treated as a minor inconvenience?
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Her announcement was followed by a string of other similar acts of protest, beginning with fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia returning his Padma Shri award, and then wrestler Vinesh Phogat returning her Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. It worried me because I dreaded the possibility of others following suit. What if the two or three other Olympic medallists in the country decided to return their prizes too? It was too upsetting to consider. I wondered if the government would do the sensible thing and ban press conferences completely but assumed that would still take a couple of years.
To be blunt, my sadness stemmed from the unnecessary criticism these actions drew against our honourable government, making it seem as if our ministers and elected representatives didn’t care about sportspeople. Luckily, our more famous athletes and cricketers did what they do best: they stayed silent and focused on what was important—getting more brand endorsements. It would be undeniably more embarrassing if they were to support these female wrestlers and make it seem as if the government chooses to protect male ministers over female citizens. It just isn’t true.
No other government has done more for sportspeople than the government of India. I am aware that the number of medals we win in competitions abroad does not reflect this at all, but I’m pretty sure that’s the fault of our athletes, not the government. Our sportspeople have the best facilities, access to the world’s most amazing arenas and, most importantly, they all train in a space devoid of politics or political influence. No one can point to our governing sports bodies and say that they are managed by children or relatives of politicians. This is the kind of impartial atmosphere other countries ought to adopt if they want to see the results our country routinely produces. It’s probably why we will win at least one more Olympic gold medal in the next decade or two.
As for the wrestlers, while I sympathise with their cause (unofficially, for obvious reasons), I hesitate to support them outright because I believe this sends the wrong kind of message to our government. If we start removing ministers just because they have been accused of sexual assault, rape, murder, or extortion, we may not have many MPs left. This, coupled with an existing scenario where most ministers in opposition aren’t even allowed in Parliament these days, could cripple our otherwise robust democracy. If ministers are to be censured for criminal behaviour, it ought to be done in the right way, by giving them a smaller portfolio as punishment. That is the kind of strong message that will resonate with citizens of New India, and one that will encourage our sportspeople to believe that their voices aren’t being ignored.
It doesn’t make sense for citizens to step outside their lanes and make demands. If sportspeople start to comment on things other than sports, where will this end? Other citizens may have demands of their own, and what will the government do then? Start listening to them? The idea is ridiculous.
I hope Sakshi Malik changes her mind and picks up her wrestling shoes again, if only because this will be good for public relations and boost our country’s image at home and abroad. She doesn’t even have to step into an arena again if she doesn’t want to, and can simply spend the rest of her life staging photo opportunities with the Prime Minister for social media. It’s what a lot of Indian celebrities and sportspeople have been doing lately, and we haven’t heard any of them complain.
In the future, every sportsperson thinking of protesting against some imagined injustice should ask themselves one question before calling for a press conference and demanding justice: What would our brave cricketers do? The answer will almost always be: Nothing.
When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira
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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.
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