Bajrang Punia, the Olympic-medal winning Indian wrestler, finds himself at the centre of a controversy. Punia was spotted standing on a poster with the Indian flag when he was receiving Vinesh Phogat at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi on Saturday (August 17). Vinesh returned from Paris Olympics 2024 where she had reached the final of the Women's Freestyle 50 kg wrestling before being disqualified for being 100 grams overweight ahead of the gold medal bout, forcing her to remain medalless.
Nonetheless, Vinesh received a grand welcome at the Delhi Airport after her return from the Paris Olympics despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissing her appeal for a joint silver medal. Vinesh had a great run up to the final as she went on to beat reigning Olympic champion and number 1 seed Yui Susaki. While Vinesh's fellow wrestler Bajrang and Sakshi Malik were present at the airport to welcome her back to India, Bajrang was caught standing on a 'Tiranga' poster, leading to scrutiny and criticism.
READ HERE | 'She Was Kicked In India..': Bajrang Punia's Statement On Vinesh Phogat After Her Paris Olympics Semis Entry Goes Viral
Take a look at the viral video and some of the commments on it:
ALSO READ | Indian Medallists From Tokyo Olympics Who Didn't Participate In Paris 2024 Games
India Bag 6 Medals At Paris Olympics 2024
Vinesh might not have been able to add a medal to India's tally but the Indian contingent managed to end the Summer Games with 6 medals to their name. The 117-member squad bagged 5 bronze medals and a silver medal. A bronze medal came from wrestling too with Aman Sehrawat managing to secure the medal in the men's 57 kg freestyle wrestling. India were placed 71st in the final medal tally of the Paris Olympics.