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Bajrang Punia

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Bajrang Punia
President Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Arjuna Award to Punia in 2015
Personal information
Born (1994-02-26) 26 February 1994 (age 30)
Khudan, Haryana, India
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Spouse
​
(m. 2020)​
Personal details
Political partyIndian National Congress
Sport
CountryIndia
SportWrestling
EventFreestyle
Coached bySujeet Maan
Achievements and titles
Olympic finalsBronze ×1
Regional finalsGold ×3 Silver ×5 Bronze ×2
Medal record
Men's Freestyle Wrestling
Representing  India
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games — — 1
World Championships — 1 3
Asian Games 1 1 —
Commonwealth Games 2 1 —
World U23 Wrestling Championships — 1 —
Asian Championships 2 4 2
Commonwealth Championships 2 — —
Total 7 8 6
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo 65 kg
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Budapest 65 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Budapest 60 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Nur-Sultan 65 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Belgrade 65 kg
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Incheon 61 kg
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast 65 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Glasgow 61 kg
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 New Delhi 65 kg
Gold medal – first place 2019 Xi'an 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Astana 61 kg
Silver medal – second place 2020 New Delhi 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2021 Almaty 65 kg
Silver medal – second place 2022 Ulanbator 65 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2013 New Delhi 60 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Bishkek 65 kg
World U23 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Bydgoszcz 65kg
Commonwealth Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Singapore 65 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 Brakpan 65 kg
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Gold medal – first place 2017 Ashgabat 70 kg
Bolat Turlykhanov Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Almaty 65 kg

Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian politician and a freestyle wrestler. He is a member of the Indian National Congress serving as the Working President of the All India Kisan Congress.[1] Punia joined Congress party along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat in September 2024.[2][3] In his new role with Congress, Punia is involved in raising the issues of farmers in Haryana as well as in other states.[1][3]

As a wrestler, Punia competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov with a 8–0 margin.[4] Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win four medals at the World Wrestling Championships.[5] He is a recipient of Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India which he gave up as a protest after a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was elected as Wrestling Federation of India chief.[6]

Early life and background

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Punia was born in Khudan village, Jhajjar, Haryana, India.[7][8] He began wrestling at the age of seven and was encouraged to pursue the sport by his father.[9] Punia grew up in rural area. His family did not have money for traditional sports. Instead, he had to partake in free sports like Wrestling and Kabaddi.[10] Punia's father was a wrestler as well and at a young age, his family enrolled him in a local mud wrestling school. Punia started to skip school to go to wrestling practice.[10] He went to Chattarsal Stadium in 2008 where he was trained by Ramphal Mann. In 2015, his family moved to Sonepat so that he could attend a regional center of Sports Authority of India.

He used to work in the Indian Railways on the post of Gazetted officer OSD Sports and resigned in 2024 September[8] Punia is married to fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat.[11]

Political Career

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On 7 September 2024, Punia joined Indian National Congress along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat after meeting Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi just before the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election.[3] According to some political analysts, Punia and Phogat's entry in Congress was a boost for the party, which was aiming to consolidate Jat votes and capitalize on the anti-incumbency against the Haryana BJP in the 2024 state elections.[2]

On 22 October 2024, Punia took charge as Working President of the All India Kisan Congress at the Congress party headquarters in the New Delhi in the presence of senior party leaders, including All India Kisan Congress National President, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress General Secretary Kumari Selja, former Union Minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh, and newly elected party MLA and former wrestler Vinesh Phogat. [1] According to senior Congress leaders, Punia was expected to raise the voice of the farmers and labourers of the country in his new important role in the party.[1]

Sports Career

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2013 Asian Wrestling Championships

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In New Delhi, India, in the semi-final bout, Bajrang lost 3–1 to Hwang Ryong-hak of North Korea to win the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 60 kg category.

In the Round of 16, he faced Shogo Maeda of Japan, beating him 3–1. His opponent in the quarter-finals was Morad Hassan of Iran whom he beat 3–1 to qualify for the semi-finals.[12]

2013 World Wrestling Championships

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In Budapest, Hungary, Bajrang won the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 60 kg category by qualifying for the bronze medal bout through the repechage round. There, he met Enkhsaikhany Nyam-Ochir of Mongolia and beat him 9–2.[citation needed]

In the Round of 32, he faced Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria who beat him 7–0. With the Bulgarian grappler qualifying for the final bout, Bajrang then faced Shogo Maeda of Japan and earned a walkover. His next opponent was Ivan Guidea of Romania, and with a 10–3 win over the Romanian, Bajrang earned a spot in the bronze medal bout.[13]

2014 Commonwealth Games

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In Glasgow, Scotland, he won the silver medal in the men's freestyle 61 kg category, after losing 1–4 to David Tremblay of Canada.

In the Round of 16, Bajrang faced Sasha Madyarchyk of England and beat him 4–0. He faced Marno Plaatjies of South Africa in the quarter-finals and won 4–1. The Nigerian wrestler, Amas Daniel, was his opponent in the semi-finals and overcame him in a 3–1 score line.[14][15]

2014 Asian Games

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In Incheon, South Korea, he won the silver medal in the Men's freestyle 61 kg category, after losing 1–3 to Masoud Esmaeilpoorjouybari of Iran.

In the Round of 16, he faced Tuvshintulga Tumenbileg of Mongolia and beat him 3–1. His quarter-finals opponent was Farkhodi Usmonzoda of Tajikistan whom he beat 4–1 to qualify for the semi-finals. He was assured of a medal when he beat Noriyuki Takatsuka of Japan 4–1 in the semi-finals.[16]

2014 Asian Wrestling Championships

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In Astana, Kazakhstan, Bajrang won the silver medal in the men's freestyle 61 kg category, losing 0–4 to Masoud Esmaeilpour of Iran.

In the Round of 16, he met Lee Seung-Chul of South Korea, whom he beat 3–1. In the quarter-finals, he faced Noriyuki Takatsuka of Japan, whom he beat 3–1 to qualify for the semi-finals. There he met Nazmandakh Lhamgarmaa of Mongolia whom he beat 3–1 to assure himself of a medal.[17]

2015 World Wrestling Championships

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Unlike his fellow Narsingh Yadav, Bajrang was not able to win a medal at the tournament in Las Vegas and finished 5th.[18]

In the Round of 32, he met Batboldyn Nomin of Mongolia who beat him 10–0. With the Mongolian qualifying for the final bout in the 61 kg category, Bajrang got a chance to contest in the Repêchage round. His first opponent in the repêchage round was Reece Humphrey of the USA whom he beat 6–0 easily. The second repêchage opponent was Beka Lomtadze from Georgia who put up a fight but was ultimately overcome 13–6 by the Indian. Unfortunately, he fell at the last hurdle, drawing the bronze medal bout 6–6 but his opponent Vasyl Shuptar of Ukraine, scoring the last point.[18]

Asian Wrestling Championship 2017

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In 2017 May, he won a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship held in Delhi.[8]

Pro Wrestling League

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Bajrang was the second acquisition of the JSW owned Bangalore franchise in the auction conducted in New Delhi. The wrestler was picked up for a sum of Rs 29.5 lakh.[19]

The Pro Wrestling League was scheduled to be held from 10 December to 27 December across six cities.[20]

2018 Commonwealth Games

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In Gold Coast, Australia, he won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 65 kg category. He overcame Kane Charig of Wales by Technical Superiority to clinch the gold.[21]

2018 Asian Games

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On 19 August, he won the Men's freestyle 65 kg /Gold medal. He defeated Japanese Wrestler Takatani Daichi 11–8; the score was locked at 6–6 after the first round.[22][23]

2018 World Wrestling Championships

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Bajrang won Silver at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships. After that silver medal, he claimed World No. 1 in 65 kg category.[24]

2019 World Wrestling Championships

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He won Bronze for the second time at a World Championship, thereby qualifying India for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the 65 kg freestyle wrestling event.

2020 Rome Ranking Series

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On 18 January, Bajrang defeated Jordan Oliver 4–3 in the final in the 65 kg freestyle category at the Ranking Series.[25]

Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021

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In 2021, he won the gold medal in the 65 kg event at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 held in Rome, Italy.[26]

2021 Asian Wrestling Championships

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He clinched a silver medal at the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships after losing to Takuto Otoguro in the final.[27]

2020 Tokyo Olympics

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On 6 August 2021, he won the pre-quarterfinal match in 65 kg category in 2020 Summer Olympics against Ernazar Akmataliev and his quarter-final match against Morteza Ghiasi Cheka.[28][29]

In the bronze medal match, he defeated the Kazakhstani wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov, winning by a margin of 8–0.[30]

Bajrang and the other Indian Olympians were featured in a can by the Indian soft drink manufacturer, Thums Up.[31]

2022 Commonwealth Games

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Bajrang clinched the gold medal with a dominating win over Canada's Lachlan McNeil in the 65kg final bout at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.[32]

2024

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In April 2024, Punia was suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for refusing to give his urine sample for a dope test during the selection trials of the 2024 Olympic qualifiers.[33] Subsequently, he was also suspended by the wrestling global body, the United Wrestling World (UWW).[34] Punia has gone to court and appealed against his suspension.[33]

International competitions

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World Championship

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Year Competition Venue Event Rank Opponent
2022 2022 World Wrestling Championships Belgrade 65 kg 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Sebastian Rivera (PUR)
2019 2019 World Wrestling Championships Nur-Sultan 65 kg 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ)
2018 2018 World Wrestling Championships Budapest 65 kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Takuto Otoguro (JPN)
2017 2017 World Wrestling Championships Paris France 65 kg 13th  Zurabi Iakobishvili (GEO)
2016 2016 World Wrestling Championships Budapest 61 kg 9th  Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov (AZE)
2015 2015 World Wrestling Championships Las Vegas 61 kg 5th  Batboldyn Nomin (MGL)
2013 2013 World Wrestling Championships Hungry 60 kg 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Vladimir Dubov (BUL)

U23 World Championship

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Year Competition Venue Event Rank Opponent
2017 2017 World U23 Wrestling Championships Bydgoszcz 65 kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Nachyn Kuular (RUS)

Asian Games

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Year Competition Venue Event Rank Opponent
2018 2018 Asian Games Jakarta 65kg 1st place, gold medalist(s)  Daichi Takatani (JPN)
2014 2014 Asian Games Incheon 61kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Masoud Esmaeilpour (IRI)

Commonwealth Games

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Year Competition Venue Event Rank Opponent
2022 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham 65kg 1st place, gold medalist(s)  Lachlan McNeil (CAN)
2018 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 65kg 1st place, gold medalist(s)  Kane Charig (WAL)
2014 2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow 61kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  David Tremblay (CAN)

Asian Wrestling Championship

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Year Competition Venue Event Rank Opponent
2021 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships Almaty 65kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Takuto Otoguro (JPN)
2020 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships New Delhi 65kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Takuto Otoguro (JPN)
2019 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships Xi'an 65kg 1st place, gold medalist(s)  Sayatbek Okassov (KAZ)
2018 2018 Asian Wrestling Championships Bishkek 65kg 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Daichi Takatani (JPN)
2017 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships New Delhi 65kg 1st place, gold medalist(s)  Seunghui Lee (KOR)
2016 2016 Asian Wrestling Championships Bangkok 65kg 10th  Kum Su JON (PRK)
2014 2014 Asian Wrestling Championships Astana 61kg 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Masoud Esmaeilpour (IRI)
2013 2013 Asian Wrestling Championships New Delhi 60kg 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Yang Jae-hoon (KOR)

Olympics

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Year Competition Venue Event Rank Opponent
2021 Tokyo Olympics 2020 Tokyo 65 kg 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan)

Record against opponents

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Awards

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The President, Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Padma Shri Award to Punia at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, 2019.
For winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

Socio-political activism

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Main article: 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest

Punia has been protesting against the alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief - Brij Bhushan Singh. The instances of sexual harassment ranged from 2012 to 2022.[43] Punia has called on the public to show their support at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Following a scuffle between wrestlers and Delhi police at Jantar Mantar, Punia expressed concern about the treatment of wrestlers and its implications for their careers, stating:[44][45][46][47]

What are we supposed to do with the medals if this is how we are going to be treated? It is unfortunate that a person accused of sexual harassment attended the inauguration of the new Parliament building. It took Delhi Police only a few hours to register an FIR against us but it took them 7 days to register an FIR against Brij Bhushan Singh.


References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Bajrang Punia Takes Charge As All India Kisan Congress' Working President". NDTV. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Decoding Rahul Gandhi's meet with wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia". India Today. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia To Contest Haryana Polls As Congress Candidates". NDTV.com. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  4. ^ Sen, Rohan (7 August 2021). "Tokyo 2020: Wrestler Bajrang Punia beats Daulet Niyazbekov to win bronze, adds 6th medal in India's tally". India Today. Tokyo. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  5. ^ "WHO IS BAJRANG PUNIA". Business Standard India. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Bajrang Punia writes to PM Modi, says he is returning Padma Shri in protest". The Hindu. PTI. 22 December 2023. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  7. ^ Saini, Ravinder (31 July 2014). "Silver medallist Bajrang's native village erupts in joy". The Tribune. Tribune News Service. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Saini, Ravinder (14 May 2017). "Bajrang's village celebrates the proud moment". The Tribune. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Glasgow 2014 - Bajrang Bajrang Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  10. ^ a b Henry, Blaine (1 June 2020). "Bajrang Punia: In The Middle of Difficulty Lies Opportunity". fight-library.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  11. ^ Venkat, Rahul (20 November 2020). "Bajrang Punia ties the knot with fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat". olympics.com.
  12. ^ "International Wrestling Database". iat.uni-leipzig.de. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Wrestler Bajrang wins bronze, gives India second medal at Worlds-Sports News". Firstpost. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Bajrang Kumar wins bronze at World Wrestling Championships". CNN-IBN. 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  15. ^ Sejwal, Ritu (17 September 2013). "Bajrang wins bronze at World Wrestling Championships". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  16. ^ "Athletes_Profile | Biographies | Sports". incheon2014ag.org. Archived from the original on 4 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  17. ^ "International Wrestling Database". iat.uni-leipzig.de. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  18. ^ a b "International Wrestling Database". iat.uni-leipzig.de. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  19. ^ Kumaraswamy, K (3 November 2015). "JSW bag Narsingh at Pro Wrestling League auction". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  20. ^ Sharma, Ravi Teja (4 November 2015). "Pro Wrestling League: Yogeshwar Dutt gets Rs 39.7-lakh offer, Sushil Kumar Rs 38.2 lakh - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  21. ^ "CWG 2018: Wrestler Bajrang Punia bags Gold in Men's Freestyle 65kg category". India Today. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  22. ^ Naik, Shivani (20 August 2018). "Wrestler Bajrang Punia brings India first Asian Games gold". The Indian Express. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Official Result Book - Wrestling 19–22 August" (PDF). Olympic Council of Asia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Bajrang becomes number one in world in 65kg". The Pioneer. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  25. ^ "Bajrang Punia wins gold at Rome Ranking Series event". India Today. Rome. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  27. ^ Dutta, Subhayan (23 February 2021). "The Takuto Otoguro conundrum for Bajrang Punia". olympics.com.
  28. ^ "Olympic Schedule & Results - 6 Aug". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Bajrang Punia reaches Olympic wrestling 65kg semifinals in Tokyo, to face Haji Aliyev". The Hindu. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Bajrang Punia wins bronze in Tokyo 2020: Every athlete dreams of winning an Olympic medal". India Today. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Thums Up faces brickbats for roping in athletes in its latest ad for Olympics". Exchange4media. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  32. ^ "CWG 2022: Bajrang Punia Wins India's First Gold Medal In Wrestling At Commonwealth Games". News18_India. 5 August 2022.
  33. ^ a b Global wrestling body UWW suspends Bajrang Punia until the end of 2024
  34. ^ "NADA suspends wrestler Bajrang Punia again, serves him notice of charge". Indian Express. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  35. ^ "JSW-supported Bajrang Punia and Babita Kumari receive Arjuna Award". sportskeeda.com. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  36. ^ Mathur, Abhimanyu (28 January 2019). "Bajrang Punia: The Padma honour more than makes up for the Khel Ratna snub". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  37. ^ "Wrestler Bajrang Punia to get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award". India Today. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  38. ^ "Bajrang Punia, Elavenil Valarivan bag top honours at FICCI India Sports Awards". The Hindu. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  39. ^ Sharma, Nitin (12 July 2021). "Rs 6 crore or Rs 25 lakh for Olympics gold? Home state key to cash prize". Indian Express. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  40. ^ Basu, Hindol (23 July 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Indians to get highest cash award for winning medals". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  41. ^ "Raining rewards for Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra! Haryana, Punjab, BCCI announce cash awards for star javelin thrower". Financial Express. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  42. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Coaches of gold winners to get ₹12.5 lakh from IOA, Chanu coach to get ₹10 lakh". Hindustan Times. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  43. ^ "Wrestlers protest: 7 days to register FIR against Brij Bhushan, few hours for FIR against us, says Bajrang Punia". The Economic Times. 29 May 2023.
  44. ^ Tewari, Samridhi (4 May 2023). "Ready to return our medals, says Bajrang Punia a day after scuffle with police". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  45. ^ "Why are top Indian wrestlers protesting on the streets?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  46. ^ "Bajrang Punia's emotional appeal and a video: 'fought for pride of our country'". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  47. ^ "Wrestler Bajrang Punia Urges People To Reach Delhi After Violence At Protest Site". NDTV. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
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